Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the deadline day signing of Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from London rivals Chelsea. Since the confirmation of Mudryk's second chance in the Premier League, an interview from Roberto De Zerbi during his time at Brighton & Hove Albion has gone viral across social media. In 2022, the then Seagulls manager told reporters "Mudryk can win the Ballon d’Or in the future. I know the value of Mudryk. He has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or".
Why did Roberto De Zerbi say this?
Roberto De Zerbi coached Mykhailo Mudryk during his year at Shakhtar Donetsk in which the winger achieved eight goal contributions in his 19 apparences whilst lifting the Ukrainian Premier League, becoming the first Italian to do so.
Following De Zerbi's forced exit, Mudryk went onto have 19 goal contributions the following year in his 18 games which earnt the Ukrainian winger a move to Chelsea. When asked, De Zerbi spoke on the young winger's potential which matched the expectation Chelsea had on him as part of Mudryk's contract included a Ballon D'or clause.
Unfortunately, Mudryk hasn't lived up to expectation as of yet but at 25 years of age and reunited with a manager that has consistently supported him we could see more gametime for the Ukrainian.
In 2023, De Zerbi told TalkSport "Mudryk is a top player and I think for him, it's difficult to start in another country, in another team. Everyone knows the situation of Chelsea this year, it's very difficult especially for a young player, for a young guy. But, he has the quality to become a star in the Premier League."
How does De Zerbi look back on that quote?
In today's press conference, De Zerbi responded to the quote "When I spoke about the Ballon d'Or I was very clear, I was speaking about the potential of Mudryk, [Mudryk] can respect the prediction or not until now he has had many problems". The potential remains there, as De Zerbi said, however Mudryk will need to fight in order to get into the team and perform well to live up to the expectation that so many elite minds in football have placed on him.
When can Spurs fans expect to see Mudryk?
De Zerbi spoke out on Mudryk's fitness “I don’t know how many times he needs (to play) to be available to start – one part of the game, I think, he’s ready to play right now, 15, 20, 30 minutes. Yes, I think he's ready to play part of the game. I think so".
Spurs travel to Nottingham to take on Nottingham Forrest, a side they haven't beaten away since 15th December 2023. An Ange Postecoglou masterclass saw Richarlison and Son both net in a 2-0 away win for the North London side. New singings Mudryk and Tosin are both possibilities to make their debut for Tottenham this weekend.
With a Carabao Cup game against Liverpool set for 15th September, De Zerbi could highlight this game as a chance for Mudryk to get serious minutes under his belt ahead of a long and gruelling Premier League campaign for Tottenham Hotspur.
