Mudryk cleared to return as Chelsea lose late to Tottenham in Sydney

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso says he is “very happy” that Mykhailo Mudryk has been cleared to resume his career after almost two years out because of a positive doping test.

The Ukrainian winger, who last played for Chelsea in November 2024, was given permission to return to action immediately on Friday after the English FA concluded his disciplinary case in agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Mudryk is expected to join Chelsea’s squad in Hong Kong for the next stage of their pre-season tour. Alonso said the club would assess the player’s future carefully because of his lengthy absence from competitive football.

“I am very happy for him, for me also but mostly for him,” the Spaniard told reporters after Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney.

“We want him to feel part of the team because he’s been training on his own for so long. We have to see (about his future) because he’s not been playing for a long time.

“To be honest, we were not expecting to have this great news.”

Mudryk joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023. Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi coached him at the Ukrainian club and also expressed his pleasure at Friday’s decision.

“He’s a lovely guy and a great player,” he said. “I hope he can show that in this coming season after all his suffering over the past two years.”

The match in Sydney was watched by 80,363 spectators and ended with Richarlison scoring in the final minute to give Tottenham victory.

Sandro Tonali put Tottenham ahead after 17 minutes, but Chelsea levelled four minutes later when Brazilian teenager Estevao headed in.

Tottenham were reduced to 10 men shortly after half-time when substitute Kevin Danso was dismissed just three minutes after coming on. He pulled down Joao Pedro as the Chelsea forward was denied a goalscoring opportunity.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Tottenham stayed in the game thanks to several important saves by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. Chelsea were then punished at the other end when Jamie Donley’s effort struck the post and Richarlison followed up to turn in the rebound.

“We wanted to win, to lose is not something we want to do,” Alonso said.

De Zerbi said the result mattered to Tottenham even though the game was part of pre-season, especially after what he described as a disappointing 2025-26 campaign.

Alonso also welcomed the resolution of another issue involving Chelsea. The club’s appeal against a suspended points deduction for breaches of the English FA’s transfer regulations was successful on Friday.

“Any issue that is sorted is a good thing,” he said. “It can affect the team so I’m happy.”

Chelsea will continue their tour in Hong Kong, where Mudryk is set to reunite with the squad after being absent from team training for an extended period.