Arsenal will not rue Chelsea hijacking their interest in the transfer of Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. That is the verdict of Chris Sutton as Mikel Arteta has a ‘fantastic’ attack.
Sutton feels the Gunners showed in their north London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday that Arteta already has a dangerous frontline. He also believes Gabriel Jesus will have a fight on his hands to get back in front of Eddie Nketiah once fit after his knee injury.
Arsenal took a 2-0 victory at Spurs via a blunder from Hugo Lloris before Martin Odegaard took aim from range. Bukayo Saka also enjoyed his time attacking against Ryan Sessegnon. While Gabriel Martinelli caused Matt Doherty a number of issues from the opposing flank.
Beating Tottenham also gave Arsenal an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table to Manchester City. The reigning top-flight title holders had fallen to a 2-1 loss away to Manchester United – who Arsenal will take on this Sunday – in controversial circumstances.
Arteta, though, is striving to improve his offensive options to add depth behind his regular starters. The Spaniard only had Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos to turn to at Tottenham if required. Reiss Nelson is facing a lengthy spell out with a hamstring injury.
Sutton issues a positive Arsenal verdict on Mudryk’s transfer to Chelsea
So, Arsenal sought to secure a transfer with Shakhtar Donetsk for 22-year-old Ukraine star Mudryk. But Chelsea blew the Gunners’ bid out of the water after agreeing to pay an initial £62m with £26.5m in add-ons. They are also paying him double what Arsenal would have.
The Independent reports Arsenal offered Mudryk a £50k-a-week contract with his transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk. Yet Chelsea hijacked his move by tabling a wage worth in excess of £100k-a-week. ESPN noted the Gunners’ final bid started at £62m but with less in add-ons.
Now, the eight-cap winger – who only played 44 fixtures with Shakhtar Donetsk – is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2031. Yet Sutton questions if Arsenal will rue missing out on Mudryk’s transfer to Chelsea given their attacking talents already at Emirates Stadium.
“Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Eddie Nketiah: all fantastic,” Sutton wrote in his column for the Daily Mail. “When Gabriel Jesus is fit again, he will need to be at the top of his game to replace you, Eddie.
“Mykhaylo Mudryk isn’t here but who needs him? You showed your superiority in that win at Spurs.”
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