By Rob Worthington (Deputy Editor)
Mykhailo Mudryk is the current flavour of the month among the Arsenal fanbase. Since it became apparent the Gunners were looking to sign a wide forward to bolster Mikel Arteta’s forward options this winter, Mudryk quickly emerged as Arsenal’s top target.
An initial bid for the Ukrainian winger was presented to Mudryk’s current club Shakhtar last week which was eventually turned down. The offer consisted of a guaranteed €40 million plus approximately €20 million in performance-related add-ons.
Arsenal are believed to have improved that offer in recent days, according to the ever reliable @TransferChecker on Twitter. There is said to be confidence on Arsenal’s behalf that their latest offer will be accepted after a greater sum of money was offered to Shakhtar up front.
That report would suggest the overall package will remain relatively similar. A total of approximately €60 million (£52.9 million). Accounting for Mudryk’s current level, this sum could easily be interpreted as excessive, so Arsenal should consider walking away if their latest proposal is rejected.
Mudryk appears to be a fine talent and considering Shakhtar have publicly stated they want up to €100 million for the 21-year-old, agreeing a deal in the region of €60 million would be viewed as a success by those associated with Arsenal Football Club.
But it is important to note that Mudryk cannot be considered as a player who is worth the €100 million price tag his club have attached to him.
During the summer months, reports suggested Shakhtar were open to selling their young winger for less than €40 million. A few strong performances in the Champions League and the Ukrainian Premier League should not lead to a player’s worth almost doubling.
And it’s not as if those performances have nullified all the concerns analysts have regarding Mudryk. Frankly, the numbers he is producing currently while playing at an inferior level aren’t anywhere near those of Gabriel Martinelli’s or Bukayo Saka’s. Take a look at the graphic from @CannonStats below.
His game is far less rounded than Saka’s and Martinelli’s. Granted, he’s a bit of a different winger stylistically. Watching him carry the ball with blistering pace while keeping his head up is a joy to behold for football fans. However, he isn’t the efficient wide forward many on social media seem to think he is.
Mudryk isn’t particularly potent in front of goal and doesn’t find himself in goal scoring positions as frequently as he would like. From a creative perspective, he can contribute, but he’s far from elite. And crucially, in 1v1 situations against defenders, he’s nowhere near as deadly as many think.
Nevertheless, it remains clear why Arsenal are pursuing the winger. There is enough in his raw profile to suggest he really could become elite. This is where Arsenal need to be careful though. They can’t pay superstar money for a player who is yet to become a superstar.
Mudryk isn’t a winger who would be able to fire Arsenal to a title this season. He’s not yet in the Sadio Mané, Vinicius Junior, Rafael Leão, Luis Diaz, Gabriel Martinelli etc. category of left-wingers. In fact, he is some way off that level right now, and it’d definitely take time for him to adjust to the demands of the Premier League.
So, if Arsenal do end up paying a king’s ransom for a player who will in all likelihood underwhelm during his first few months at the club, they need to accept there will be consequences.
Much of the north London outfit’s transfer business in recent years has been notably low-risk. Arsenal have signed recognised talents, usually for less than £50 million. Most of these players were almost certainly going to succeed under Mikel Arteta.
There are a few reasons why their success was guaranteed to some degree. Either these players had plenty of Premier League experience (Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale) or they’d played under Arteta before (Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Alex Zinchenko).
And the remainder of Arsenal’s signings who fall outside of these categories were far less expensive. The likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Matt Turner, and Marquinhos all arrived at Arsenal off the back of fairly low-money moves.
And the only signing that might be questioned is that of Fabio Vieira. The Portuguese youngster has shown glimpses of quality and will likely prove to be a success at Arsenal. But the deal which brought him to north London was only believed to be worth €35 million rather than the reported €60 million the Gunners are said to have offered for Mudryk.
The Mudryk move is the sort of transfethatch can impact your reputation as a buying club if it goes wrong. Arsenal’s Sporting Director Edu Gaspar has worked hard since his appointment to improve Arsenal’s reputation in this regard by deflating the club’s wage bill and refraining from spending astronomically in the transfer market. He needs to ensure the Mudryk saga doesn’t undo this work.
Ultimately, if Shakhtar reject Arsenal’s latest offer, those on the recruitment team need to be absolutely certain Mudryk is going to succeed in north London before lodging an improved bid.
And if Arsenal are looking for a superstar who can propel them to a league title, right now Mykhailo Mudryk just isn’t their man. One would imagine the club are aware of this, but it’s important their fans are too, otherwise unrealistically lofty expectations will be placed on the Ukrainian’s shoulders.
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