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The chief executive of Shakhtar Donetsk Sergei Palkin has railed against Arsenal after their transfer target Mykhaylo Mudryk transferred to their London rivals Chelsea over the weekend.
Mudryk was heavily linked to Arsenal in this January transfer window and many expected him to make the move to North London but Chelsea made a surprise move over the weekend to secure the 22-year old winger’s signature.
The player moved from Ukrainian side Shakhtar to the Blues for a transfer reported to be worth 89 million pounds. Arsenal had two offers rejected earlier in the window which gave Chelsea the chance to jump in and get Mudryk in the door at Stamford Bridge.
Mudryk had previously been seen donning an Arsenal shirt in social media posts and also described Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as a “top coach,” so his move to Chelsea came as a shock to many football fans.
Palkin Reveals All About the Mudryk Transfer
Recent comments from Shakhtar CEO Palkin have shed some light on what went on behind closed doors with regards the transfer.
Palkin revealed that Arsenal first contacted Mudry in “October or November” of last year before they initiated contact with his club Shakhtar. Palkin also said that Arsenal offered the same amount of cash as Chelsea but the Blues provided better add-on clauses to maximize the fee the Ukrainian club would receive.
“Chelsea was much more serious and fair in some points,” Palkin revealed.
Palkin clearly had a problem with Arsenal’s personal approach to Mudryk without first contacting his former club. He told of Mudryk’s compatriot Oleksander Zinchenko and Gunners’ sporting director Edu contacting the player “almost every day” to convince the winger to join Arsenal.
“Arsenal contacted the player almost one and a half months before they contacted us,” Palkin said, “Chelsea, they called me at the end of December and asked if they can contact Mudryk.”
Chelsea’s ‘Serious Project’ Impressed Shakhtar
Though Palkin and Shakhtar held several meetings with representatives from Arsenal, the club CEO claimed that he and the club were much more impressed with new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly and his vision.
“They invited the player and explained to us the whole project,” Palkin said, “When they explain to you the whole story and you look for the next two, three, four, five years, then you see they have a serious project.”
“I believe they will build one of the best clubs in the world because I am telling you, they are very serious in all directions,” he added.
Despite rumors, Palkin says that Mudryk did not “push” for an exit from Shakhtar before departing the Ukrainian Premier League side. The player agreed an eight and a half year contract with the London side, who will hope his talents help them climb into the European places before the season ends.
Graham Potter’s side are currently 10th in the English top-flight and will need to see a drastic improvement in form if Chelsea’s new owners are to see a return on the investments they made in new players in the summer and this January.
The side appeared to get back on track over the weekend, recording a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace courtesy of a Kai Havertz headed goal.
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