Mykhailo Mudryk sends Arsenal target ‘precious’ advice after Chelsea move as Mikel Arteta looks to secure first signing

Mykhailo Mudryk of Chelsea may be setting up a potential hijacking of one of London rival Arsenal’s January transfer transactions by attempting to bring an ex-teammate to Chelsea instead, a move identical to one he made last year.

Mudryk has already scored his first two goals in a Chelsea shirt this season, the first coming in a 2-0 win over Fulham in October, before his exquisite chip in the thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal, which caught goalkeeper David Raya off guard in front of the Matthew Harding stand.

However, things could have turned out very differently. The now-Blues winger was scheduled to arrive at the Emirates Stadium, but a late push from Todd Boehly and company saw him land in SW6 instead, leaving the red portion of north London quite red-faced.

But now he’s attempting to lure another young Shakhtar Donetsk player, Georgiy Sudakov, 21, to Stamford Bridge. Sudakov, who was photographed hiding in an underground bunker in Kyiv early in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was said to have had his aspirations of becoming a professional footballer dashed.

Despite having not practiced in over a month before the war began, he has managed to maintain and even increase his talent as the combat rages around him. Despite the failures, he earned his national team debut in a friendly against Bahrain in May of this year.

The Ukrainian international, who has three goals and one assist in 13 games this season, primarily plays as an offensive midfielder but can also play on the wings.

The Gunners are reported to be competing with the Blues for the star’s signature in January, with both teams keeping an eye on his progress in a position that is frighteningly similar to Mudryk’s own in January 2022.

Mudryk is blossoming under Mauricio Pochettino, having already shown that he is capable of pushing towards goal and setting up his teammates after a difficult first few months in England. Sudakov confesses that Mudryk has warned him about a move to the Premier League, but he wants the pair to rejoin as a result of their experiences.

“Misha is my close friend, and we talk a lot,” Sudakov told the Telegraph. “I’ve already gotten some great advice from him in case I move to England.”

“How to adapt, how it’s difficult to get into the pace of the game, so it’s very useful advice for me.” He advises shifting to a high competition as soon as possible since it helps to strengthen your game to adjust more rapidly, both physically and psychologically.

“Misha has got huge potential and perhaps one of the reasons why you didn’t see him at the top level in England yet is because he is saying there is not such a player like a Sudakov who constantly delivers with top passes and assists for him!”