Shakhtar Donetsk CEO Segei Palkin has told The Athletic that new signing Mykhailo Mudryk would not be a Chelsea player if Roman Abramovich was still in charge of the club.
The Blues completed a deal over the weekend to sign the Ukranian from under Arsenal’s noses, proving there is still significant power from the West of London despite the league positions of both sides.
The winger was unveiled as a member of the Chelsea side during the club’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Close to a club record signing, there is plenty of expectation on the shoulders of the 22-year-old.
There is also yet another sign of ambition from owner Todd Boehly, as he continues to invest big in his new team.
The American has been lavish in his spending since taking over the side from Abramovich last year. However, it is his presence at the club alone could be responsible for Mudryk joining Chelsea.
No Abramovich helped Chelsea sign Mudryk
Palkin has claimed that it would not have been possible to conduct the business of a Ukranian player joining a side owned by a Russian.
He said: “I think yes, because if there was no new owner of Chelsea, there would be a lot of critics in respect of us, because of these kinds of connections. Maybe even impossible.”
Chelsea fans will no doubt be excited to see their new signing in action, with the first opportunity coming on Saturday in the Premier League match with Liverpool.
Both sides have dropped off massively from last season’s efforts, and a win on Saturday could be the catalyst to at least a partial revival to their campaign.
The Blues will definitely be without fellow winter signing Joao Felix, who is set to endure his second of three games on the sidelines.
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