Neil Warnock has been speaking about Mykhaylo Mudryk – who Arsenal missed out on when Chelsea secured an £88.5m deal.
What’s the story?
Well, the Gunners seemed almost certain to sign the Ukraine international in the January transfer window.
Mudryk regularly posted Arsenal-related content on his official Instagram account, while also admitting that he would like to join the north Londoners.
However, Chelsea eventually made a more attractive offer to Shakhtar Donetsk, and managed to lure the 22-year-old sensation to Stamford Bridge to the surprise of thousands.
Mudryk made his first appearance for Chelsea in the 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday 21st January, which Warnock feels was “the most exciting debut” he has ever seen.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the 74-year-old said: “Mudryk must have been the most exciting debut I’ve seen, ever. No fear.”
In truth, it was a debut good enough to make Arsenal fans feel even more upset about missing out.
Mudryk was given 35 minutes of action after replacing Lewis Hall in the 55th minute at Anfield, but found time to embark on two successful dribbles, have one shot, make three successful tackles while also winning one freekick as WhoScored shows.
It was an all action cameo, with some even comparing the Ukrainian to Eden Hazard.
Arsenal will regret missing out on Mudryk
Make no mistake about it, these are exciting times for Arsenal, and the signings of Leandro Trossard, Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho were smart additions.
However, we believe the Gunners will look back on their failure to sign Mudryk as a painful moment – he has the potential to become one of the best footballers on the planet.
Arsenal famously missed out on Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, and while it will take a lot for Mudryk to replicate the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, losing out on him to Chelsea could end up being just as painful.
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