The January transfer window is just around the corner and all eyes are on Arsenal as they look to maintain their title challenge.
The Gunners are five points clear at the top of the Premier League table right now, and if they can recruit properly in the winter, a first title in 18 years could be on the cards at the Emirates.
So, what do Arsenal need to do? Well, in the summer they missed out on two main targets – a new midfielder and a new winger.
Wingers were targeted. Bids went in for Raphinha, Yeremy Pino was strongly admired while Pedro Neto was also a target at one point.
However, it now seems as though attentions have turned towards Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk, and this is a deal that could be done rather easily.
Easy signing
While no transfer is straight-forward, bringing Mudryk to the Emirates should be as easy as it gets.
The Ukrainian winger has already admitted that Arsenal is his dream destination when speaking to CBS.
“I think every player dreams about the Premier League. It’s hard to say [which team he’d like to join] but Arsenal is a very good team, very good coach, I like the way they play.”
When asked if he would make a move to the Emirates he said: “From my side, I can’t say no [to Arsenal]. But the transfer is not only my decision.”
Mudryk has made no secret about the fact he’d love to play for Arsenal, and he’s dropped another massive hint on Instagram this week when liking a post about a potential transfer.
Meanwhile, Mudryk’s own teammates have already been joking about a deal with Arsenal being done. When you connect all of the dots it’s not hard to come to the conclusion that getting Mudryk to north London would be quite easy.
However, while signing Mudryk could be easy, this isn’t necessarily an avenue Arsenal should pursue.
Shouldn’t sign him
Getting Mudryk to agree to join Arsenal may be simple, but, in our view, it wouldn’t be worthwhile.
Shakhtar want massive money for this player, their Sporting Director, Darijo Srna recently stated that they want a transfer fee similar to the fees involved in the deals to bring Jack Grealish and Antony to Manchester City and Manchester United respectively.
“If someone wants to buy the Mudryk, they have to pay huge, huge, huge money. Otherwise, the president of the club will not sell him,” Srna said to The Athletic.
“All clubs must respect the president, respect Shakhtar. And, in the end, respect Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is one of the best players I have seen. That’s why the price is so high.
“Antony and Grealish are players with a price of more than 100 million euros. In my opinion, Mudryk is no less a quality player than they are. And there was the transfer of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester United.
“These are the latest transfers in more or less the same positions. We only want respect. The market determines the price, not me. It shows which players are worth such money.”
That means that Arsenal are looking at paying north of £85m for Mudyrk, and, to be honest, he’s not quite proven that he’s worth such a fee yet.
Yes, seven goals and six assists in the league this season is impressive, but let’s not forget, the Ukrainian League is not one of the best divisions in Europe. In fact, according to UEFA’s co-efficient system, it’s the 16th-best league on the continent.
On top of that, most of the top players in that competition, such as Manor Solomon and Tete, have been poached via the FIFA ruling regarding foreign players playing in the war-torn nation at the moment – so the field is even weaker than usual.
You could point towards his three goals in the Champions League as evidence for his brilliance, but again, you have to take into account that two of those goals were against Celtic – a team that, with all due respect, isn’t up to Premier League standard right now.
Mudryk looks a talent and if he was available on the cheap, this would be a no-brainer, but a potential club-record fee for a winger who has never kicked a ball in one of Europe’s top 15 leagues is beyond madness.
Arsenal could get Mudryk with ease, but they shouldn’t.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
