Just how much time Mudryk is afforded is the big question, despite Chelsea’s public support for him and desire to ‘help him resume his career’. While Alonso has alluded to being pleasantly surprised by the winger’s comeback, the signs are that he will have an uphill battle to re-establish himself at Stamford Bridge.
The west Londoners have invested heavily in left-sided attackers in the 25-year-old’s absence, and the club clearly hadn’t been expecting to welcome him back just yet. New club-record £117 million ($157m) arrival Morgan Rogers is expected to play off that flank this season, while the Blues shelled out £52m ($76m) to bring in Jamie Gittens a year ago. Meanwhile, highly-rated 17-year-old Dastan Satpaev has impressed on the left wing in pre-season and the Blues also have Pedro Neto on their books, who can operate on either side.
Mudryk’s form and performance levels before his ban also shouldn’t be overlooked. Chelsea forked out an eye-watering £89m ($109m) to land the then-coveted youngster from Shakhtar Donetsk, but he had somewhat predictably failed to live up to that price tag and what seemed to be considerable potential in west London, mustering just 19 goal involvements in 73 outings for the Blues. He often looked bereft of confidence, and it’s difficult to imagine that his near-two-year ban will have helped him in that regard.
Much will depend on how the rest of the summer progresses, but a loan might make the most sense for Mudryk at this stage as he goes about trying to rebuild his career – perhaps to sister club Strasbourg, back home with Shakhtar or elsewhere in the Premier League.
Equally, it would be unsurprising if he was kept at Stamford Bridge to build up his fitness, barely featuring in the first team before being loaned out or perhaps even sold in January. Technically, his contract could be terminated as a doping ban usually constitutes a breach of contract, which might be mutually beneficial if it smooths an exit, as was the case for Paul Pogba at Juventus, albeit the club would surely want to try to recoup some of that £89m outlay in 2023.
Mudryk will just be happy to be able to train and play again after so long, but his future is now shrouded in uncertainty.
