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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Ben Davies

Oleksandr Usyk defends Chelsea signing Mykhaylo Mudryk with Ballon d'Or claim

Oleksandr Usyk believes Chelsea's mega-money signing Mykhaylo Mudryk will win the Ballon d'Or before the end of his career.

Mudryk was linked with moves to Arsenal and Chelsea in the January transfer window while at Shakthar Donestk, but after a tug-of-war between the London clubs he snubbed the Gunners for the Blues. The Ukrainian star was picked up for a sizeable £88million after add-ons but has failed to light up the pitch at Stamford Bridge yet despite showing glimpses of his talent in appearances against Liverpool and Leicester.

The 22-year-old came in further criticism for his quiet performance against England in Ukraine national colours during their 2-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium in a Euro 2024 qualifier at the weekend. However fellow countryman and undefeated fighter Usyk, believes critics are jumping the gun when dismissing his talent due to his price tag.

"No, it doesn't," Usyk responded when asked about Mudryk's price tag for his switch to Stamford Bridge earlier this year in an interview with Parimatch. "Everything has risen. Prices, and money, are a little higher than they were. I think he's worth a little more than 100 million because I've been watching this guy.

"I saw him for the first time playing for the U-18 or U-19 team. The hairstyle that catches your eye, the tattoos, I mean, he was playing, and I was watching him, and I liked him. It seems to me that this guy can bring the fourth Ballon d’Or to Ukraine. I like it [English football], it’s tougher. There’s fewer boys fall rolling and screaming 'ouch'! I mean, they go toe to toe, the bone sticks out and they keep running. I like this kind of football better."

Mudryk has faced tough conditions moving to the UK as war rumbles on his home country, in a similar way to Usyk who was himself caught up after the Russian invasion. His undeniable talent saw a number of Europe's elite chasing his signature, but he has chosen to commit to Todd Boehly's long-term project in west London.

Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea in January (Getty Images)

What do you make of make of Mykhailo Mudryk's time at Chelsea so far? Let us know in the comments section below

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has limited Mudryk's game-time since joining the club as he looks to manage his workload and ease him into English football. But despite many doubting his ability, Potter elected to respond to critics after he registered an assist in a 3-1 win at the King Power Stadium earlier this month.

"He'll get better and better," Potter said. "He's a young player that hasn't that much experience, so each game he'll get better and better. His attitude is fantastic, he wants to help the team and work with the team. I'm delighted he got an assist and helped us.

And again, it's not easy for him to just arrive in the middle of what was pre-season for him and to come into a new country, new club, new league, and just hit his absolute maximum level. We're positive about him. We're positive about the future for him. But we need just to help them settle."

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