“A big player”- Kepa gives his verdict on Chelsea newboy Mykhailo Mudryk

Kepa Arrizabalaga tips new Chelsea signing Mykhailo Mudryk to shine

As quoted by Evening Standard, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has backed new signing Mykhailo Mudryk to shine at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues announced the signing of the Ukraine international from Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday for a deal worth £88.5m. They beat London rivals in the transfer race to sign him.

Upon his announcement, Mudryk was unveiled to the Chelsea fans at the Bridge during the half-time interval of the game against Crystal Palace.

Here’s what Kepa said about the winger and how he can impact the team in a good way (h/t Evening Standard):

 “We saw him arrive during half time because we were in the changing room. We are happy to have him. He is a big player who comes here to help and all the best to him. We hope they can all help our season everyone wants that.

“We hope the new players keep making solid debuts like Joao [Felix] and Benoit [Badiashile]. Now Mudryk has come in. They are coming to help, strengthen the team and help us win every game.”

If we are being honest, Chelsea are dependent on new signings doing well in the second half of this season to turn this rotten form around.

While the win over Palace did stop the three-match losing run, the performance was not convincing. Forwards are still missing a lot of chances and the back-line comes under heavy pressure in almost every game.

Mudryk is a different player from what Graham Potter had at his disposal though. The 22-year-old is more of a direct winger who possesses an electric pace, great dribbling skills and good decision-making in the final third.

The Ukrainian can add much-needed verve to Chelsea’s attacking play. It only remains to be seen whether he would be ready to go from the next game onwards, which is a big one away at Liverpool on Saturday (January 21).

While our position at the table is not good at the moment, there are still half of the games left to be played in the league. So, nothing is decided yet. But, if we are serious about competing for a top-four finish, wins need to start coming consistently from now onward.

More Chelsea News:

• Former Scotland winger Pat Nevin thinks Chelsea deserved to beat Crystal Palace
• Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly linked with shock exit
• Chelsea target Wilfried Zaha could only leave Crystal Palace in the summer

While we will miss Felix for two more games because of the straight red card he received against Fulham, potentially having Mudryk can add a different threat for the opposition to deal with.