“He would be a lot better in an Arsenal shirt” - Scott Minto claims Chelsea star should have joined Gunners

Former Chelsea left-back Scott Minto has claimed that Mykhaylo Mudryk would have been better off had he signed for Arsenal. The winger was the subject of a transfer tug-of-war in January 2023, where the Blues pipped the Gunners to his signing after agreeing on a fee of around £88 million.

Since then, the Ukraine international has failed to justify that fee. He has seven goals and five assists in 62 games, and 28 of those appearances have come from the bench.

Moreover, Mudryk has played under five different managers at Chelsea during this period, which may not have helped his cause either. Speaking about the former Shakhtar Donetsk winger's struggles at Chelsea, Minto told TalkSPORT (via The Boot Room):

"You talk about Mykhailo Mudryk, who Arsenal wanted. I am not sure he is (a great footballer). He certainly is not showing it at the moment. I think he would be a lot better in an Arsenal shirt than he would in a Chelsea shirt. That is an indictment of Chelsea."

Mudryk has featured in Chelsea's last two league games but was benched in their opening-day 2-0 Premier League loss to Manchester City.

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When Ukraine star made his feelings clear on Mykhaylo Mudryk joining Chelsea over Arsenal

Mykhaylo Mudryk reportedly wanted to join Arsenal, but the Gunners weren't able to strike a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk. As it turned out, the Blues seemingly had no realistic competitor in their bid to sign the now 23-year-old winger.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, who followed in Mikel Arteta's footsteps to swap Manchester City for Arsenal, commented on the saga two months after Mudryk's transfer to west London. He said of his compatriot in March last year, via Daily Mail (h/t Metro):

"I said to him [Mykhaylo Mudryk]: 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."

Arsenal reacted to missing out on Mudryk by sealing a reported £29 million deal for Brighton & Hove Albion's Leandro Trossard. They have since added to their depth in that area by sealing a deadline-day loan deal for Chelsea's Raheem Sterling earlier this month.

This would, to an extent, also reduce some competition for Mudryk in Enzo Maresca's frontline.