Arsenal & Mykhaylo Mudryk: is this a worthwhile pursuit?

At least the player himself seems keen.

The January window is now underway and Arsenal have already identified rising Ukrainian star Mykhaylo Mudryk as their primary transfer target, but extortionate demands from Shakhtar Donetsk are proving deeply problematic in the negotiation phase.

Shakhtar vice director Carlo Nicolini declared this week that Mudryk’s price tag is “clear” and it appears the Gunners will have to proffer a club-record bid to complete the move. However, with other areas of the squad in need of redress and current terms being somewhat excessive for a relatively untested player, is our continued interest in the forward worthwhile?

Brief profile considerations go some way towards explaining the competition for the 22-year-old’s services. The latest in a long line of brilliant Shakhtar representatives, Mudryk is a truly gifted left winger who combines acceleration, impressive dribbling skills and fearless offensive runs to strike terror into the hearts of opponents.

Should Arsenal push for Mudryk despite the financial demands of Shakhtar Donetsk?

He is also a masterful tempo manipulator and uses remarkable agility along with technical flair to draw challenges, before quickly changing direction to drive into the final third. The Krasnohrad native then relies on his incisive passing or powerful ball-striking to trouble the goalkeeper, while an unselfish streak often sees him link up and share goal-scoring responsibilities with his teammate – as evidenced by ten goals and eight assists in 24 matches this season.

Amid the ample positives, Mudryk’s strengths mostly reside in attack and there is still room for improvement in his defensive duties. To his credit, he does drop back into the midfield half space and shows discipline to maintain the collective structure out of possession – which enables devastating transitions if the ball is recovered.

However, he makes very few tackles and rarely finds himself in a position to intercept or cut off opposition passing lanes, a task of critical importance to all members of the Arsenal team and one in which he must improve.

Overall, Mudryk has huge potential and the rapid progression of his career to date has earned effusive admiration from many Shakhtar figures, with Sporting Director Darijo Srna touting him as the “third best” left winger in the world and former coach Roberto de Zerbi recently declaring that he could be a future recipient of the Ballon d’Or.

While that particular prize might be a distant prospect now, the Ukraine international is certainly talented and would benefit greatly under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta. For the moment, there are several obstacles to overcome before an agreement is reached, but it looks like it would be worth the wait.