28 November 2023 , 13:03
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Mykhaylo Mudryk has urged Chelsea to sign his former Shakhtar Donetsk team-mate Georgiy Sudakov in the January transfer window.
Mudryk has struggled to make an impact since joining the Blues in a deal which could reach £87million in January. The Ukraine international has contributed just two goals and two assists in 29 appearances in all competitions and is yet to hit the kind of form which prompted Chelsea to gazump Arsenal in the transfer market.
Mauricio Pochettino is keen to strengthen his defence in the mid-season transfer window following a shocking capitulation to lose 4-1 against Newcastle on the weekend. He will reportedly try to sign a new central defender once Trevoh Chalobah has been moved on, but Mudryk would prefer him to focus his attention elsewhere.
Gazzetta dello Sport says he is hoping that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly will return to Shakhtar for another winter spending spree. Sudakov, 21, has been in good form this season, recording three goals and one assist from 15 appearances. He is on the radar after netting in the Champions League against Barcelona.
Mudryk played alongside Sudakov at the Under-21 European Championship in the summer and is reportedly convinced he can make the step up to the Premier League if given the chance. The feeling appears to be mutual between the pair of Ukrainians.
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Sudakov played with Mudryk at Shakhtar, where the winger caught the eye with 12 goals and 17 assists in 44 games, and he recently explained why he believes he is not hitting the same heights. “[Mudryk] has got huge potential,” Sudakov told The Telegraph.
“Perhaps one of the reasons why you don’t see him at the top level in England yet is because, he is saying, there is not such a player like [me] who constantly delivers top passes and assists for him.” It seems unlikely that Chelsea will take the hint, having shelled out for many midfielders in the summer.
Mykhaylo Mudryk wants Chelsea to sign Georgiy Sudakov (Grzegorz Wajda/Getty Images)Pochettino already has a bloated squad, with Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Lesly Ugochukwu and Cole Palmer all arriving to play in midfield in the summer. Instead, the focus is on improving the leaky defence, with Wesley Fofana still out injured, and signing a centre-forward to take the goalscoring burden off the inexperienced Nicolas Jackson.
As reported by Mirror Football, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen tops Chelsea’s wishlist but the Serie A champions’ £100m asking price could scupper a January deal. The 24-year-old, who has six goals in seven league games, is hugely admired at Stamford Bridge. He scored 31 times in all competitions last season as Napoli won their first league title in 33 years and could plug a gap while Christopher Nkunku recovers from injury.