'Talked to Arteta': Sporting director confirms £89m star wanted to join Arsenal before Chelsea move
Shakhtar Donetsk sporting director Darijo Srna has confirmed that Mykhailo Mudryk spoke with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta before his big-money move to Chelsea in January 2023.
The Gunners were heavily interested in signing the Ukraine international three years ago. They were much fancied to land his signature before the Blues hijacked the deal at the last hurdle.
Speaking on Denys Boyko‘s podcast (translated by The Sun), Srna recollected the events before the transfer and revealed that Mudryk spoke with Arteta and he liked the Spaniard.
However, the Gunners failed to make a better transfer offer, and Mudryk was left to choose between joining Chelsea or staying with Shakhtar for the remainder of the season at least.
Srna said: “Misha talked to Arteta. I talked to the Chelsea coach. And, probably, at that moment he liked Arteta more.
“But it is the club that decides whether to sell a player or not. We told him that the club has found a common language with Chelsea.
“And then you decide for yourself: do you want to move or not? Either you go to Chelsea, or Arsenal offers the same conditions, or you stay at Shakhtar.
“From what I know from Serhiy Palkin, he communicated with Arsenal. I was more in contact with Chelsea, but he and the president conducted all this policy.
“I was just directly inside the process, the Chelsea sporting director and I were in touch.
“Chelsea generally made a much better offer to Shakhtar than Arsenal. We can discuss it, but we cannot accept a worse offer than the one we have.”
Mudryk to Chelsea proved a blessing in disguise for Arsenal
Arteta was convinced by the potential of Mudryk, but the Gunners were reluctant to pay over the odds. The Blues eventually agreed a deal worth £89 million to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
The decision proved a blessing in disguise for Arteta’s side, who chose to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Leandro Trossard as the alternative. The Belgian ace was hugely influential in ending the club’s 22-year wait for the Premier League title last term.
The 31-year-old made 70 goal contributions in 170 appearances for the Gunners and was a clutch player with several key winning goals. One of those came against West Ham United on the road last term, which shifted the momentum in the league title race.
Mudryk, on the other hand, has managed only 21 goal involvements in 73 games for the Blues. He was sidelined for a lengthy period with a drugs ban before returning this summer. He is presently on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, where he is nursing an ankle injury.
There is no doubt that Arsenal got the better deal with Trossard.
The Belgian may not have joined Arsenal if Mudryk hadn’t moved to Chelsea in January 2023. Trossard ended up a fan favourite before his move to Besiktas this summer.
He has been replaced by Greek winger Christos Tzolis, who has made a fine start to his career with four assists across all competitions for the Gunners.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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