Why Chelsea Are Still Going ‘Very Slowly’ With £89m Mudryk

Chelsea has been moving “very slowly” with Mykhailo Mudryk after paying £89 million ($109 million) for the Ukrainian winger back in January.

The Blues had anticipated that the high-flying attacker would make an immediate impact at Stamford Bridge after rival interest from Arsenal was turned down in order to finalise a high-value transfer deal.

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Mudryk, though, has had trouble maintaining consistency during his time playing football in England; the 22-year-old is still waiting for his first goal in a competitive game. Mauricio Pochettino has complete faith in the young player since he adds unique attributes to his young team, but he acknowledges that the process of adaptation will take time.

Pochettino has said of bringing out the best in Mudryk, who arrived in the Premier League from Shakhtar Donetsk: “The life of these guys, when they are so young, (it) changed. You pay big money, big change form where they came. Also it’s not about to arrive and to perform when you are young. It’s about to adapt, it’s about to help them to settle. Then the most difficult thing is to understand what these guys need to settle and to feel comfortable and to express their talent. If you ask me about Misha, he’s a very talented player of course, but you need to go with him very slowly. Cultural and everything is completely different to Latin people, from different countries or part of the world. He’s now trying to be more open, to adapt and be more involved in every situation, not only on the field but outside also. I think he’s doing a massive effort to try to integrate himself and to understand better what it means to play like a team. He’s unique. I can’t find a player to say he is similar, I can’t remember one. It’s a good challenge for him, and it’s a good challenge for us.”

Mudryk has started Chelsea’s last three games as they look for a team spark after a lacklustre start to the 2023–24 season. The Blues will be back in action on Monday when they host Fulham in a derby matchup in west London.