Football expert Oleksandr Sopko shared his thoughts on the transfer of Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk to London Chelsea, which was officially announced yesterday.
- Mudryk is a professional football player, and any football player has such changes in his life, which can be both unexpected and those that are prepared for. He was ripe for the transition, he had been living with it for the last, probably a few months, preparing himself for it. The offer is very good, it is even binding because, let's be honest, not all of us believed that the transfer would take place at this point.
— Before that, Mudryk confessed a lot about his love for Arsenal, which also fought for the player. Did the footballer do himself a disservice by doing this, or will the Chelsea fans remind him of these gestures?
— Mykhailo should play a good game, give out and show what he can do and, God forbid, more than once, then he can become a fan favorite not only in England, but also in Europe. Only with the game you either gain fans or lose them. I think that, most likely, the fans of "Arsenal" will be upset with the position of their club, that they did not manage to defend themselves and convince "Shakhtar" that Mudryk's team is "Arsenal".
— How difficult will it be for Mykhailo to blend into the new team as soon as possible and prove his claim to a stable place in the first team?
- His age is such that he can still study and study. Therefore, the main thing here is to gain patience and believe in yourself, to understand that everything can happen - both unsuccessful games and the pressure of the stands, because there they understand what football is like, which in itself is a big expensive transfer, how it should be worked out.
The pressure that Mudryk will feel now is in no way comparable to the games of the Ukrainian championship. To learn the language faster, both on the field and in everyday life, plus being more open to partners, not closing in on yourself, doing without unnecessary worries - this is the main thing for Mykhailo now.
He knows how to play, for him now it is important to find a balance between collective and individual actions. English football is very intense, intense, you have to practice from the first to the last minute, a lot of work in defense. We don't have anything like that.
I think that the desire to reach this level, this opportunity - all this gives so much motivation, desire that you just need to use these additional forces correctly, do not overdo it, weigh everything soberly.
I think that it will be easier for Mudryk in the sense that he is in the same city as Sashko Zinchenko. He has already passed the stage of formation in English football, knows all the pitfalls, knows what to work on first. Well, Mykolenko is not far away. So, in this respect, it will be easier for the Wise Man. But still, everything depends, first of all, on him.
— If Mudryk and Zinchenko were teammates, would it be better for Mykhailo at this stage or is it still good that they are on different sides of the London barricades?
- "Chelsea" is now in such a state that it needs an influx of new players with its vision of the game. A new team is being built there, a new coach, a change of management, everything is in the formative stage. And if Mudryk finds himself in this team as a system-forming player, then, given the term of the contract, he has a chance to become the main player for a long time.
In its turn, in "Arsenal" the game seems to have been built up, staged. And it's not so easy to knock someone out of the lineup, that's the first thing. The second is that once the game is set, the requirements are such that this game and its principles must be met. You are no longer required to do something extraordinary. And in "Chelsea" it is allowed. He will be able to take more initiative, he will probably have more playing time. So for growth, for improvement and for faster adaptation to English football, Chelsea is seen as a more suitable option.
Evgeny Savchuk