Chelsea have made some big money moves since the arrival of their new owners, the two biggest being midfield duo, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández.
Third on the list is Romelu Lukaku, who was signed in 2021 by Thomas Tuchel, coming back to Chelsea for his second stint at the club. It didn’t end well, with lots of controversy from an interview he did just months after joining the club, and the Belgian has recently been sold back to Italy, joining Napoli for £30m.
Enzo Fernández
£101.1m
Moises Caicedo
£96.9m
Romelu Lukaku
£94.4m
Wesley Fofana
£67.1m
Kai Havertz
£66.8m
Kepa Arrizabalaga
£66.8m
Mykhailo Mudryk
£58.5m
Álvaro Morata
£55.1m
Marc Cucurella
£54.5m
Christian Pulisic
£53.4m
Seventh on the list is Ukrainian winger, Mykhailo Mudryk, who was signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023. Now, Chelsea are now being linked with a move for one of Mudryk’s international teammates.
Chelsea eyeing up another Ukraine international
According to reports from inews earlier this week, Chelsea are among the clubs interested in the Ukrainian superstar talent, Georgiy Sudakov. Other Premier League clubs interested include Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City.
The 22-year-old has made 111 appearances for Shakhtar, scoring 27 goals, providing 20 assists, and totalling 7,883 minutes played. He also already has 23 international caps under his belt, scoring three goals for his country.
So far this season, Sudakov – who possesses a release clause of £128m – has made ten appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing two assists.
His ability to facilitate others in that attacking midfield position, crash the box, and provide output, could be the perfect recipe for success at Chelsea, and could even bring the best out of his international teammate.
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How Sudakov would benefit Mudryk at Chelsea
Since joining Chelsea, Mudryk has underwhelmed, making 66 appearances, scoring just seven times and providing an equal number of assists across 3,188 total minutes.
The frustration for many Chelsea fans has been the clear talent the Ukrainian possesses, often met with inconsistency and a lack of efficiency on the pitch.
One thing we know about Mudryk is he has blistering pace, and this was apparent from day one. In his debut year, the Ukrainian became the quickest player in the Premier League that season (2022/23), clocking a speed of 36.63km/h. However, the challenge now is for him to develop consistency in his actions, and improve his output on the pitch. That’s where the supremely talented Sudakov comes into the equation.
Goals
0.17
0.63
Assists
0.34
0.16
xG
0.00
0.42
xAG
0.58
0.00
Progressive Carries
6.32
2.63
Progressive Passes
3.16
5.79
Shots Total
1.86
1.80
Key Passes
2.11
0.53
Shot-Creating Actions
4.21
1.58
Successful Take-Ons
1.58
0.53
An addition like Sudakov, who has been highly praised as a “sensation” by scout Jacek Kulig, could help to unlock Mudryk, who is already posting some very nice creative numbers. His progressive carries in order to get into dangerous areas are high, whilst he is offering 2.11 key passes per 90, and 4.21 shot-creating actions per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
One of the biggest issues, is Chelsea are currently full of other playmakers, with Cole Palmer often taking the responsibility of making things happen in the final third, Nicolas Jackson often drops in to link play, and Fernandez, who is a pass-heavy midfielder also helping the supply line.
This often means Mudryk’s creative numbers are going to waste, with a lack of box crashers, and little to aim at.
Adding Sudakov, you already have an established relationship from international football, and you are adding an attacking midfielder who wants to attack the box, scoring 0.63 goals per 90, generating 0.42 xG per 90, and taking 1.80 shots per 90.
This dynamic would give Mudryk an extra “box crasher” to find, and with the form Sudakov is in, him finding the net on a few of these occasions could be the difference between Mudryk finding his confidence, and starting to gain momentum with his output for the Blues.
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