Chelsea expected to incur significant loss on player unsuitable for Premier League

Since Todd Boehly took over the club in 2022, The Blues have invested heavily, spending well over £1bn on new signings. More than 40 players have been brought in, with many of them signed to surprisingly long contracts.

While some, like Cole Palmer, have proved to be monumental hits, others have flattered to deceive at Stamford Bridge.

Mykhailo Mudryk certainly falls into the second category, having scored just seven goals for Chelsea following his £89m move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023.

The 23-year-old was chased by Arsenal as well as Chelsea almost two years ago but has failed to meet expectations, struggling to earn a place in the team and underwhelming when he has featured.

Ex-Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has warned Mudryk his ‘time may be up’ and says his former club could be preparing to take a ‘big loss’ on the Ukrainian.

Mudryk was handed a rare start in Chelsea’s 5-0 thrashing over Barrow on Tuesday night and made an assist as Enzo Maresca’s side dominated their League Two opponents to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

But it appears unlikely that his performance will act as a springboard for the rest of the season, with former England star Johnson claiming he is not ‘cut out for the Premier League’.

Asked if Mudryk has what it takes to be a success at Stamford Bridge, Johnson told Betfred: ‘We’re yet to see it. We’ve seen flashes of his talent and there’ve been times when he’s looked unstoppable, but we haven’t seen it often.

‘At the moment, it doesn’t look like he’s cut out for the Premier League because we would have seen it by now if he was. Maybe his time is up.

‘I’ve been supportive of him previously, but there’s reasons why the managers he’s had don’t trust him and when he’s had the opportunities to play, we’ve not seen enough from him.

‘Chelsea bought him for a lot of money, so they’re either going to have to stick with him or take a big loss on him.’

Maresca, who left Championship winners Leicester City to take over at Stamford Bridge in July, has repeatedly challenged Mudryk to offer more to the team.

Another one of Chelsea’s recent signings, Nicolas Jackson, has enjoyed a promising start to the 2024-25 campaign, scoring four goals in five Premier League games.

The Senegal international was criticised for missing chances last term but Johnson expects him to make regular contributions for Chelsea this year.

‘I’ve been impressed with how he’s started the season, but I was also impressed with how he started last season and he then tailed off a little bit,’ he added.

‘Hopefully this time around he’s got used to the Premier League and he doesn’t tail off because he’s already shown that the ability is there, he just needs to do it more often.

‘I think he can get around 15 Premier League goals for Chelsea this season and I think he would be delighted with that. If he can get to 18, then that would be a great season for him.

‘I think he’s capable of achieving this and he’s got a better chance of doing so in a better Chelsea side.’

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