Arsenal Transfer News: Carlo Nicolini, the deputy sports director of Shakhtar Donetsk, has stated that Arsenal is interested in Mykhaylo Mudryk, a forward for Shakhtar.
Arsenal Transfer News: Will Mudryk sign for Arsenal?
Nicolini has added further evidence that Arsenal is serious on signing Mudryk. He recently informed TVPlay that on January 9 all of Shakhtar’s players, including the striker, are expected to report for training. But he also admitted that Mudryk’s future was cloudy, saying (as reported by Metro):
‘‘Mudryk has received the message, like all the other players, to show up for the training camp in Antalya on January 9. Arsenal’s interest is there, I can’t deny it. However, today, he is called up for the first training camp. It runs from January 9 to February 9, then in Warsaw we will prepare for the next European games.’’
Nicolini also said that other other teams have shown interest in one of Europe’s most promising young players. But he thinks Italian teams are at a disadvantage in signing Mudryk, saying:
‘‘Many clubs have taken an indirect interest in Mudryk, without an official offer. There have been a lot of phone calls. ‘I believe that today the Italian teams find it difficult to take a profile like this, both for what it is worth and for the lack of courage in investing in such a profile.’’
The attacker’s current contract with Shakhtar extends until 2026. Thus giving the club plenty of influence in determining his price. They demand €100 million for the player, but according to Ornstein, a deal may be struck for less.
What’s next for him?
In January of 2021, Mykhaylo Mudryk transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk from fellow Ukrainian club Desna Chernigiv. It took until the conclusion of the 2020-21 season for him to make more than a trio of appearances before he was given a larger role the following season.
Mudryk participated in 19 games across all competitions in his first full season with the club. He recorded two goals and nine assists. Then, in the first 18 games of the 2022–23 season, the Ukrainian scored 10 goals and sent out eight assists. This was all well ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Qatar.
This season in the UEFA Champions League, the forward with ties to Arsenal has scored three times and assisted on two more. When looking at the numbers behind the competition, Mudryk was unbeatable. While his shot-to-goal percentage was just 33%, he managed to average 0.8 critical passes and 1.7 successful dribbles per game.
Arsenal will be without Gabriel Jesus for at least a month due to injury. So, Mudryk might be a good signing. He’s just 21, so he may be a good investment for the team’s long-term success.
