It is January 2023, and London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal are battling it out for 22-year-old Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, whose performances for Shakhtar Donetsk had quickly seen his stock rise to astonishing levels.
It was ultimately the Blues who sealed his signature in a £88m deal, consisting of £62m upfront with a potential £26m in performance-related add-ons, which the Gunners were unwilling to match.
Shakhtar director of football Darijo Srna was heavily involved in negotiations with Chelsea, while the club’s general director Serhiy Palkin handled the potential Premier League alternative with Arsenal.
Srna, a former Croatia international who remains in his role at the Donetsk club, recently revealed that Mudryk was more attracted to Mikel Arteta’s project at Arsenal than Chelsea’s, stating: "Misha [Mudryk] talked to Arteta. I talked to the Chelsea coach. And, probably, at that moment he liked Arteta more."
Despite the move ultimately failing to work out in west London, before Mudryk’s career was further disrupted by an anti-doping case involving meldonium, the now-Tottenham loanee could have had a very different career in north London.
Srna Reveals More on Mudryk’s Arsenal Preference
Continuing on Mudryk’s preference for a move to Arsenal on Denys Boyko’s podcast this week, Srna explained that while the winger may have favoured Arteta’s project, Chelsea’s offer was simply better for 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.”
For Srna, it was ultimately a straightforward business decision, with Shakhtar unwilling to turn down a better offer when the club held the power to decide whether Mudryk would leave.
“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.”
Arsenal's Last Laugh And Lucky Break
Beaten to the punch by their rivals, Mikel Arteta had lost out on a key target to then Chelsea boss Graham Potter, when the North Londoners desperately needed a left-sided winger in that January window.
While the Emirates faithful were discontent at seeing a rival hijack such a move, it even reached the point of one supporter being arrested for shining a laser pen in Mudryk’s eye when he faced them later that season.
However, hindsight can be a beautiful thing, as the failed move led to Brighton’s Leandro Trossard instead, signing the Belgian for a reported £27m just days after Chelsea completed their £88m deal for Mudryk.
Trossard quickly proved to be a valuable addition, providing 10 Premier League assists in his first half-season and remaining a regular part of Arteta’s squad through their title-winning 2025/26 campaign. He also featured in the Champions League final defeat to PSG before leaving for £17m to join Besiktas this summer.
On the red side of London, the collapse of the Mudryk move can be looked back on as a blessing in disguise.
Mudryk’s Chelsea Misfortune and Spurs Opportunity
Turning attention back to Chelsea, Mudryk’s career since the move has been turbulent, initially struggling to produce performances that reflected his £88m price tag or the potential he had shown at Shakhtar.
There were still signs of his ability, but his progress was halted in December 2024 when he was provisionally suspended after a sample taken while on international duty with Ukraine returned a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance.
Mudryk was later handed a four-year ban, but successfully challenged the decision earlier this year, with the case eventually resolved in July 2026 and the time already served counting towards his suspension.
He subsequently joined Tottenham on a season-long loan on transfer deadline day this summer, with Spurs holding a reported £75m option to buy. However, his return was short-lived, playing just 20 minutes against Nottingham Forest before suffering an ankle injury in training expected to keep him out for several weeks.
While the £75m purchase option has already attracted criticism, there is still a human side to Mudryk’s turbulent last few years. Srna has remained in contact with his former player throughout, offering further insight into his time at Chelsea and his latest move.
“Then, unfortunately, he joined Chelsea. They changed the coach, changed the system. In short, chaos. And, unfortunately, what happened, happened, but he managed to get out of that situation. We stayed in touch the whole time,” Srna said.
He also spoke about Mudryk’s personality and relentless work ethic, while explaining what he believes the winger needs to improve.
“Misha has one big problem: he trains too much. He’d stay after our practice for another two hours, working on his shots on goal.
“He’s a great kid, but he needs to think about the game, too. It’s the right thing to do, but he needs to find a balance. He used to stay late at Chelsea, too. I’m sure he has a bright future ahead of him. He’ll be a superstar.”
