"He went to Chelsea, which is not a team" – Coach points fingers at Blues for 22-year-old star's struggles at Stamford Bridge
Shakhtar Donetsk fitness coach Carlo Nicolini has blamed Chelsea's environment for Mykhailo Mudryk's ongoing struggles at club level.
Mudryk, 22, has failed to live up to the billing since joining the Blues from Shakhtar Donetsk in a potential £89 million deal earlier this January. He has managed to net just two goals and provide as many assists in 28 appearances across competitions for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have also struggled to shine this calendar year. They have won just 12 times out of 43 matches in all competitions, registering just eight victories out of 35 Premier League games.
Speaking recently to TV Play, Nicolini asserted that Mudryk's failure to impress at the west London side is down to the Premier League club's dire form. He said (h/t Sport Witness):
"Mudryk needed to take one more step there, then the war happened. He went to Chelsea which is not a team, in these contexts even the individual struggles. In the national team, you can see the real Mudryk, he can do even more. He must find the right environment and a coach who gives him confidence. He has everything to rock. I hope he can show it because he is really strong."
Prior to joining Chelsea, the Ukrainian earned his name with electric performances for his boyhood team Shakhtar Donetsk. He contributed 12 goals and 17 assists in 2432 minutes of action, across 44 games.
Chelsea receive Victor Osimhen boost
Speaking to GiveMeSport, famed journalist Ben Jacobs stated that Chelsea could sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen next summer. He said:
"The indications have always been from Napoli sources that it is very unlikely he will be available in January. So then Chelsea, like others I suppose, face a conundrum: do you move in January or do you wait for Osimhen in the summer? And I think if they feel like they could get Osimhen, then they would wait."
Jacobs claimed that the Blues could rope in Osimhen for £100 million:
"By next summer, the price will have dropped a little bit unless Osimhen signs any kind of new deal at Napoli. Aurelio De Laurentiis has always tried for about £130-£140 million... flash forward to the summer, the number will be more like £100 million in likelihood."
Osimhen, whose current deal is set to expire in June 2025, has been a major topic of discussion in the recent times. The 24-year-old has been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool apart from the Blues.
Since the start of the 2022-23 campaign, the Nigerian has scored a staggering 37 goals in 49 appearances across competitions for Napoli. He has also provided six assists in the aforesaid period of time.