David Seaman, a legendary Arsenal player, has stated that Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea earlier this month solely for financial reasons. Before signing with their rivals in a deal worth up to £89 million, the 22-year-old Mudryk had a brief fling with the Gunners during the first two weeks of the current winter transfer window.
He made 18 appearances for Shakhtar Donetsk this season, scoring 10 goals and assisting on 8 others before making the move. The Ukraine international made his Chelsea debut as a second-half substitute against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday (January 21). He is a right-footed forward with speed and directness.
He completed 13 passes and two dribbles in his 35-minute appearance, won three tackles and seven duels, and made four recoveries. On the podcast Seaman Says, Seaman praised Mudryk for his successful debut for Chelsea and stated that he was disappointed Arsenal did not sign the explosive attacker. He stated,
“He looked great when he appeared on the stage! I was impressed by his control, his ability to get past defenders, and the small passes he saw. If I’m being honest, I would have liked him at Arsenal because I thought he looked special. He’s gone after the cash!”
Seaman added his thoughts on Mudryk’s failed move :
“Gabriel Martinelli would probably be the one because Mudryk started against Liverpool on the left, so would it be for Martinelli or as another striker? He would have upset the team, so I’m glad he didn’t show up. It would, I’m sure!”
Seaman went on, shedding light on the financial strength of the Gunners: “On the financial side of deals, we can’t compete with Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, or even Manchester United. We’ll get back there if we do something really special this year.” Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior were acquired by Arsenal in January for approximately £48 million each.
This month, Arsenal will compete with Chelsea to acquire two transfer targets: The following are reports :
Evening Standard reports that Arsenal has identified Moises Caicedo of Brighton & Hove Albion and Amadou Onana of Everton as potential substitutes for West Ham captain Declan Rice. Recently, Chelsea has been linked with both of the midfielders, and Brighton has already turned down two transfer offers for more than £55 million for the Ecuadorian.
This season, the 21-year-old Caicedo has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best-holding midfielders. In all, he has appeared in 31 games for the Seagulls, registering two goals and three assists. On the other hand, Onana has stood out as a bright spot in Everton’s shaky team this season.
The 21-year-old Belgian midfielder has scored one goal and tallied as many assists in 20 games across all competitions since signing for £33 million from LOSC Lille last summer.