Mykhailo Mudryk joins Tottenham on loan from Chelsea with £75m option

Tottenham have signed Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk on loan, with an option to make the 25-year-old’s move permanent for £75m.

The Ukraine international becomes the first player to move directly between the two London clubs since Carlo Cudicini made the switch in 2009.

Mudryk joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for about £85m in January 2023, but his time at Stamford Bridge has been difficult. He scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists in 73 appearances for the Blues, although he has struggled to deliver consistently enough to justify his transfer fee.

His progress was also interrupted by a doping case following an adverse urine sample. Mudryk was out of competitive football for about 20 months before the case was resolved in July, enabling him to resume his career.

He was included in Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Australia and Asia and played in a friendly against Juventus in Hong Kong. However, he was not selected by manager Xabi Alonso for the club’s opening Premier League victories against Fulham and Brighton, or for the Carabao Cup win over Luton.

The move to Tottenham reunites Mudryk with Roberto De Zerbi, who coached him at Shakhtar Donetsk and has previously expressed his belief that the winger could reach the highest level.

“Having worked with Misha earlier in his career, I know exactly what he can bring to our team,” De Zerbi said.

“He has the quality to change a game with his speed and ability in one-vs-one situations, and is an exciting, attacking talent.

“I will demand a lot from Misha and it is our job to help him find the best version of himself. If we do that then he can become a very important player for us.”

Mudryk said he was pleased to have the opportunity to work with De Zerbi again and was eager to start his Tottenham career.

“I’m a player who brings speed and creativity, and I want to help in both the offensive and defensive areas,” he said. “I want to make the fans excited.”

Tottenham turned to Mudryk after failing to complete moves for other attacking options. Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye instead joined Manchester City, while Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo appears likely to stay at Anfield.

The arrival is Tottenham’s ninth signing of the transfer window, taking the club’s spending to close to £400m.

For Mudryk, the loan provides an opportunity to rebuild his career after a prolonged period away from competitive football and a difficult spell at Chelsea. His reunion with De Zerbi gives him a manager who already knows his abilities and has publicly backed his potential.

Tottenham will hope the winger can reproduce the pace and creativity he showed during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk, while the agreement gives them the option to secure his services permanently for £75m at the end of the loan.