24 March 2023 , 20:58
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Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has insisted he harbours no resentment towards his Ukraine team-mate Mykhaylo Mudryk after the young winger snubbed the Gunners for London rivals Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta's men made little secret of their desire to land Mudryk's signature in the most recent transfer window and it was apparent that the admiration was mutual. The former Shakhtar Donetsk ace publicly praised both Arsenal and Arteta himself via social media, so his eventual switch to Stamford Bridge came as quite the surprise.
Mudryk knows Zinchenko well through their shared time on international duty for Ukraine and even sat down for an exclusive interview with the Arsenal star's wife, journalist Vlada Sedan, where he confessed he dreamed of one day donning the Gunners shirt.
Regardless, Arsenal failed to agree a fee with Shakhtar after months of negotiating and Chelsea swooped to pip their rivals to the post. Todd Boehly gave the green-light for the Blues to attempt an audacious late hijack which worked as planned.
Given Chelsea and Shakhtar had reached an agreement relatively effortlessly, where Mudryk actually wanted to go wasn't so much of a priority and he was left with little option but to sign on the dotted line for the Blues.
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While Zinchenko has revealed his disappointment at how the transfer saga ended, the 26-year-old has explained ho whe offered up some words of wisdom for Mudryk in the aftermath of the move.
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Mudryk raised eyebrows when he signed for Chelsea instead of Arsenal, despite Zinchenko's wishesSpeaking to the Daily Mail, Zinchenko explained: "I said to him: 'It’s gone already, it doesn’t matter what you wanted, what the other guys wanted'.
"Now you’re a Chelsea player, you signed a long-term contract and you have only one option, only one way: direct and forward. Unfortunately he didn’t become an Arsenal player – as I wanted personally! – but it’s life."
Mudryk's time at Chelsea has underwhelmed so far. His first taste of Premier League action came in the form of an impressive cameo off the bench away at Liverpool in January, but things have stalled since then.
The £88million man has just one assist to his name across all competitions in seven Chelsea outings so far.
In contrast, Arsenal's alternative plan after it became clear Mudryk was no longer an option has worked a treat. The Gunners forked out £21m to bring the more experienced Leandro Trossard to the Emirates instead.
The ex-Brighton man has made an instant impact, with one goal and six assists since his arrival and has given the Gunners the start they needed from a January addition as they aim to win the title for the first time in 19 years.