Why Arsenal Walked Away From Mudryk’s Deal

The breakdown of the proposed trade for the Ukrainian winger has many fans furious, but the team is maintaining composed.

“We will do the deals that we can do.”

Those were the words of Mikel Arteta when asked for his thoughts on Arsenal’s failure to land Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk.

READ ALSO: Revealed: Messi’s Words Before Argentina’s World Cup Winning Penalty

Arsenal made the winger their top priority during the January transfer window, making numerous bids for the 22-year-old.

Shaktar was a difficult and protracted negotiator, but at the end of last week there was an increasing hope that the deal may eventually be completed as discussions started to center on the add-ons rather than the initial overall amount.

But Chelsea quickly acted and signed Mudryk for £88 million ($107.5 million).

Less than 24 hours later, Mudryk was unveiled on the Stamford Bridge pitch during the Blues’ 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. They had outwitted Arsenal at the last minute by offering a package with the kind of appealing and attainable bonus payments that Shakhtar were demanding.

It dealt Arsenal a severe hit.

Mudryk was the player they wanted to come in to bolster Arteta’s attack during the second half of the season and they had put a lot of time and effort into trying to get a deal done.

However, they are now forced to start over.

It is understandable that the result has caused frustration. However, there is no sense of urgency.

From the beginning, Arsenal was emphatic that they would not enter a bidding battle for Mudryk with Chelsea or anybody else.

They adopted the exact same strategy as when they spoke with Leeds about Raphinha in the summer.

Technical director Edu had a target amount in mind, and they would back out if it became evident that it wouldn’t be sufficient to close the transaction.

And indeed, that is what took place.

When Chelsea arrived at the last minute with a more enticing add-on offer, Arsenal were left with a straightforward choice.

The Gunners were still aware that Mudryk wanted to sign with them and that, given the option, he would prefer to go to north rather than south London.

They then had to match Chelsea’s overall offer and adhere to Shakhtar’s requirements. However, they concluded it would not occur. They left feeling that their price was a reasonable and competitive one for such a young youngster who had never played in the Premier League.

“We have excellent players,” Arteta said following Sunday’s victory at Tottenham, when he was asked about Mudryk’s move to Stamford Bridge.

“We want to improve our squad in this transfer window and when I say we, myself, the coaching staff, the staff, the players, the board, and ownership. We are all in this together.

“But we will do the deals that we can do and that we believe are right for the football club.”

On this occasion, Arsenal felt the numbers involved meant that the deal was not right for the club.

As disappointing as it was to lose out on a top target, the Gunners now follow a disciplined transfer market strategy.

Edu, Arteta, Richard Garlick, the head of football operations, and the board all have a well-thought-out strategy that has worked for them recently.

And given where it has led Arsenal in such a short period of time, few would blame them if they didn’t stray from that.

On Sunday, while Mudryk was being unveiled at tenth-place Chelsea, Arsenal was about to surge eight points clear atop the Premier League by easily defeating Spurs in their own backyard.

As Arteta has said numerous times since the market started, there is a desire to improve the squad this month.

They’ll keep trying, too.

Arsenal won’t be discouraged by missing out on Mudryk since it will continue to seek elsewhere. Just as it didn’t happen in the summer when Lisandro Martinez was acquired by Manchester United.

The Gunners opted for Oleksandr Zinchenko in that situation, and on Sunday against Spurs, he showed what a great purchase he had been.

There are always alternatives, including Emile Smith’s return to fitness Additionally, Arteta now has a different attacking skill from the first half of the season thanks to Rowe.

Therefore, there isn’t any sense of panic currently at Arsenal.

Given how much money would have been involved in committing to a player with such little experience at the highest level who wasn’t even going to arrive as a sure starter, they felt they had no choice but to pull out of the Mudryk deal.

Arsenal feel confident that they made the right choice, but only time will tell how that choice is ultimately perceived.