Presenter and reporter Olivia Buzaglo believes Arsenal transfer target Mykhailo Mudryk won’t start for the Gunners if he joins.
Not too long ago, it appeared that Mudryk joining Arsenal was a foregone conclusion given how openly he’d spoken about the Gunners and the hints he’d dropped on social media.
However, Shakhtar Donetsk have seemingly refused to budge on their asking price, while the arrival of Chelsea on the scene appeared to have complicated and slowed down the chances of a transfer.
Mudryk is now back in training with Shakhtar as they prepare for the Ukrainian domestic season to restart, and any deal seems far from being close at present.
While speaking on Sky Sports on Wednesday, Buzaglo was asked if Mudryk goes straight into the Arsenal starting lineup in the event he joins.
She said: “I don’t think he goes straight into Arsenal’s starting XI, Gabriel Martinelli has been brilliant this season.
“I think at the start of the season, I don’t really think anyone expected Arsenal to be top at this stage, but when I was looking at Arsenal’s squad – even in the summer – I was thinking, they’re obviously in Europe, last season they weren’t in Europe and they struggled towards the back end of last season with the squad they had.
“Obviously, they’ve made additions, but I still just looked at their squad and just thought I don’t know if it’s ready to compete on all fronts.
“They are in a title race, and with the injuries they’ve now had, I feel like adding a player like Mudryk would be a very good option for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.
“They’re still in the Europa League as well, so they’re one of the best teams in that competition as well, so you’d think that adding someone like that they can then call from the bench and he won’t make their starting XI any weaker, I think is a really good option.”
TIF Thoughts on Mudryk and Arsenal…
Buzaglo makes a good point that despite a few additions from over the summer, this is pretty much the same Arsenal squad that bottled the top four last season after losing two of their last three league games, so Arteta clearly needs more options.
Arsenal have only failed to score in one game this season and that came against Newcastle United in a game where the only substitute Arteta made was a defensive one, despite the Gunners struggling to break down a stubborn defence.
Therefore, Arteta has to be pleading with the Arsenal board and Edu to ensure they are flexible and open to what Shakhtar are demanding for Mudryk, as his ability off the bench could be what helps them win very tight games this campaign.