Advertisement

Enzo Maresca backed into £89m Chelsea transfer corner with Jadon Sancho decision

Jadon Sancho
-Credit: (Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC)


"Because I was not happy," a typically straight-to-the-point and forthright Enzo Maresca statement last month. The Italian was asked about his reasoning behind taking Mykhailo Mudryk off the pitch at half-time of Chelsea's win at Wolves in the Premier League.

With the game finely poised at 2-2 at Molineux, Maresca chose to turn to his bench and brought new signing Pedro Neto on for the travelling Blues. Mudryk had been very quiet in the first 45 minutes - and the Ukraine international could not have had any arguments with the Chelsea head coach's decision.

"I think in some moments we can manage some situations better," Maresca continued on Mudryk. "He was working very hard off the ball and that was very good. But in terms of on the ball, I expect a bit more quality from Misha.

"For me, he had some good moments the other day and some good moments today. The reason why was just because we needed to change and give Pedro some minutes."

Neto made an immediate impact when coming on - looking sharp with his speed and directness on the left wing against the club he had left exactly a fortnight before. The Portugal international even got an assist, setting up his compatriot Joao Felix to score on his second Chelsea debut on 80 minutes.

Making a darting run down the left-hand side, Neto was found with a superbly-weighted ball from Cole Palmer. Neto then cut the ball back to Felix to register his first assist in a Chelsea shirt. In comparison, Mudryk has only managed to set a goal up in the Premier League on four occasions since moving to the Blues in a deal that could potentially be worth £89million in January 2023.

READ MORE: Chelsea get new Victor Osimhen transfer boost after deal confirmed and Didier Drogba impact

READ MORE: Todd Boehly eyes Chelsea takeover but Behdad Eghbali and Clearlake Capital stand firm

Unveiled to the Stamford Bridge faithful at half-time of Chelsea's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on January 15, 2023, there was tremendous excitement from Blues supporters about Mudryk's signing. Speed, trickery and an eye for goal - they were three of many reasons to be excited when Chelsea supporters sat down to watch his highlights on YouTube from his Shakhtar Donetsk days.

It has been far from easy for Mudryk at Chelsea since, though, and the empathetic supporters may well excuse the 23-year-old. Being young and moving to a new country is difficult enough at the best of times, but leaving Ukraine while they are at war with Russia is another thing.

However, as we know, football is a cutthroat business and this season in particular seems to be a huge period for Mudryk in terms of his future. He is now into his second full season - his third altogether - at Stamford Bridge and we have only seen glimpses of what he can do.

In 48 Premier League appearances for the club, Mudryk has scored just five goals and produced four assists - a total of nine direct goal contributions; which averages out at one every 5.3 games. That stat alone is nowhere near good enough considering the fee Chelsea paid for him and the overall expectations that have been set at the club in the last 21 years, since Roman Abramovich paid £140million to take over the west Londoners.

Also, with the immense competition Mudryk now faces for his spot in the team, putting up numbers as low and unimpressive as the above does not bode well for his future at Chelsea. Neto has come in and been bright in his opening few matches since signing from Wolves and a certain Jadon Sancho has arrived since Chelsea played their last game against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Not to mention the likes of Felix and Christopher Nkunku, who can also play on the left-hand side. Even with the departure of Raheem Sterling to Arsenal, Chelsea now have an abundance of options for the left wing spot.

And you cannot help but feel, if Mudryk does not pick up his form this season, then Chelsea could look to offload the winger next summer. That is the way football is. While Mudryk may well have some valid excuses to why he has not lived up to expectations, football is the least empathetic business, perhaps in the world.