Chelsea has largely been the dominant force in London over the last few decades, winning five Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies among a slew of other major honors.
Arsenal appear to be gunning for a shift in momentum this season, however, with the north London outfit perching atop the English top-flight with a seven-point cushion after 16 matches.
Swiping their heated city rivals’ prime target from under their nose would be typical Chelsea, and efforts must be intensified to secure the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Fabrizio Romano recently stated that Arsenal, long-time admirers of the 21-year-old, had returned with a second offer, following months of speculation regarding his future, with his club reportedly holding out for a mammoth fee of £85m.
However, a recent report from The Guardian also confirms that the Blues’ technical director Christopher Vivell has added the Ukrainian phenom to their list of January targets, and might issue a move in the coming weeks.
This must happen; Chelsea boss Graham Potter can kill two birds with one stone and inject devastating life into the offensive flanks and prevent their divisional competitors from bolstering their ranks.
Mudryk has scored ten goals and served eight assists from only 18 appearances this season, including three goals and two assists in the Champions League, and has swiftly established himself as one of the brightest young prospects on the footballing globe.
The eight-cap ace would bring a fearsome blend of direct firepower and fleet-footed rhythm to the offensive ranks of whichever team he chooses, certainly capable of establishing himself at the forefront of Europe’s elite forwards.
He could replicate the feats of Eden Hazard at Chelsea, with the Belgian sensation signing for the Blues in a £32m deal in 2012; the rest, as they say, is history.
Making 352 appearances for the Stamford Bridge side, scoring 110 goals and providing 92 assists, Hazard’s supreme dribbling and unparalleled creativity and flair established him as one of the Premier League’s finest-ever playmakers, captivating fans on countless occasions and winning two top-flight trophies among other major honours.
Mudryk must utilise his natural guile and innate ability to emulate the veteran star; as per FBref, he ranks within the top 1% of players in his position across Europe’s best leagues for rate of goals, the top 2% for rate of assists and crucially when comparing him to Chelsea’s former Belgian wizard, the top 3% for dribbles.
The “frightening” marauder – as once remarked by journalist Josh Bunting – could be a force of world-class credentials for years to come in the Premier League, likely spearheading an attack that will challenge for silverware across multiple fronts, it might be Arsenal, but if Chelsea forge ahead with a move, they could just be rewarded with the discovery of their next Hazard.
source: https://www.footballfancast.com/
