Transfer Window Target: Mykhailo Mudryk – Arsenal’s Jack Grealish?

Image Credit: Getty Images

Mykhailo Mudryk has arguably been the name to know lately not only because of his heavy link to Arsenal but also because of his emergence into football as a player with immense talent and high potential.

The Ukrainan was initially linked with Arsenal around November 2022, since then it’s been confirmed Arsenal are interested in the player and the North London club want him at the Emirates as soon as possible. Talks with Shakhtar Donetsk have picked up since the opening of the January transfer window but Arsenal is not the only club who Mudryk has attracted interest from.

Chelsea, Arsenal’s London rivals are also interested in the player and are monitoring the player’s situation.

The main reason for the delay of the transfer of Mudryk to Arsenal seems to be the difference in Arsenal’s valuation of the player compared to Shakhtar’s. The Ukraine club’s valuation which is reported to be £85 million by The Guardian. However, there are rumours a bid around £60m will get the deal over the line.

Why does Mikel Arteta want Mudryk so badly that the club are willing to possibly over-pay for a player? What would Mudryk bring into the squad?

Mykhailo Mudryk plays mainly on the left hand side of an attacking three, exactly how Arsenal have set-up this season. He has incredible acceleration and technical ability, which is ideal in a winger, but along with that he also has good physicality and is not a player who get’s bullied off the ball too often.

He is extremely quick, he can draw fouls fairly easily and dictates attacks. His profile is very similar to that of Jack Grealish, although Jack lacks the pace the Ukrainian has. It’s been said in the past Mikel Arteta is trying to replicate Manchester City’s squad at Arsenal. Martin Odegaard is Arsenal’s KDB, Thomas Party is Rodri, Granit Xhaka is Bernardo Silva and so on. Maybe Mikel Arteta is convinced Mykhailo Mudryk can be Arsenal’s Jack Grealish, but better…

His 1v1 qualities is what enables him to set up attacks and hence he is an important asset to own when needing to breakdown a deep defensive block. Mudryk is also gifted with two incredibly strong feet, however his right foot is the one that would give the defence of the opposing team nightmares.

Through my observations of the player he cuts onto his right foot and strikes the ball in a manner which would end up being a goal more than 80% of the times, he is clinical in-front of goal and lethal on the counter-attack.

If Mudryk does join Arsenal (fingers crossed) he would not only add depth to Gabriel Martinelli’s position but also give him really strong competition, which knowing Arsenal’s environment will only push the players to train harder & to out-do each other.

This transfer would also enable Mikel Arteta to play Martinelli in the centre-forward role. Martinelli has incredible transitional capabilities which can help him operate well in build-ups, in any case that we do not have players like Saka and Nketiah out due to injury this would still help us to be comfortable, we all know Gabriel Jesus has the ability to operate as a right winger, during his last few months at City where he was often out on the right hand side of the attack. Flexibility is key to any winning team.

In conclusion, Mudryk would be an incredible addition to the squad if the deal does end up getting over the line. However, £85million seems like a far too hefty price to match. In an ideal world considering Mudryk is a young talent from the Ukrainian League, his price would be closer to the £50m/£60m mark.

Shakhtar are overvaluing their player for sure, and if Arsenal do match Shakthar’s asking, it would not necessarily be a steal but it certainly wouldn’t be a massive gamble either as there’s no denying the talent Mudryk possess.

Shakhtar have recently rejected Arsenal’s second bid which was said to be around £50 million with the Ukraine club sticking to their price tag of £85 million. While Arsenal would get an incredible player in Mudryk, it is also a fairly big amount, but is he worth it? I think I would let Mikel Arteta take that decision.