Why Mudryk Will Justify £89m Price Tag – Azpilicueta

After making a sparkling start for Chelsea off the bench at Liverpool, Cesar Azpilicueta has backed Mykhailo Mudryk to live up to his £89 million ($111 million) price tag.

The Ukrainian international is adjusting to life at Stamford Bridge after the Blues forced him to leave Shakhtar Donetsk. At one point, Arsenal seemed to be in the lead in the pursuit of his services, but Chelsea has made a significant investment in his potential, and the 22-year-old winger showed enough lightning-quick speed and quick feet in a 0-0 draw at Anfield to suggest that he can have an impact on English football.

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Azpilicueta, the seasoned Spanish defender who is the captain of Chelsea, expressed this opinion when speaking to media about his intriguing new teammate: “I’ve seen a very focused lad with great determination, great ambition. It was his first game since November so, for him, it was like pre-season, he played 35 minutes at Anfield so it’s not the easiest debut and I think he did brilliantly.

“He has a great connection with the fans as well. He’s a player who can have that mix between playing good football with his feet and also running into space. You could see his speed.”

Azpilicueta added on Mudryk having to live up to his hefty transfer fee: “He’s very confident. The price tag, I know from the outside it’s there but we players don’t make the prices, it’s a market and when you are in the market, you have competition to get players so I don’t think it has to lie on his shoulders. He just has to express himself the way he has been doing. It’s great to see his energy and he will be a very important player.”

Mudryk’s last appearance for Shakhtar was on November 23, so he is still gaining match sharpness. However, Chelsea is confident that they have acquired the hottest prospect and will look to give him more significant playing time over the coming weeks, beginning with a derby match against Fulham on February 3.