“I realised two days ago”- Shakhtar chief describes how Chelsea won the race for Mykhaylo Mudryk

Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin gave insight on Chelsea signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk

Arsenal were in contention to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, but the arrival of Chelsea’s board in Poland changed everything, claims the club’s CEO Sergei Palkin.

While speaking to Athletic (subscription needed), Sergei Palkin (h/t Football.London) provided insight into how Chelsea convinced Shakhtar’s CEO despite the player almost agreeing with Arsenal.

“I realised two days ago (Saturday) when Chelsea arrived here – the co-owner Behdad Eghbali and (director of global talent and transfers) Paul Winstanley.”

“They came to Antalya in Turkey. Before Chelsea arrived, I did not know they were close, because I communicated with Arsenal in the same way as I had with Chelsea. Even I can tell you more: I met Arsenal more times than Chelsea. Therefore, before this last meeting, Arsenal was close, or a little bit closer, to this deal than Chelsea.”

Palkin, the club’s chief executive, described how The Blues persuade by talking about their alluring project for the player, which was crucial in bringing the youngster to Stamford Bridge.

The 22-year-old agreed to sign a five-year contract with Arsenal, but things did not occur as planned for the Gunners as Chelsea were successful in hijacking their intended target.

North London’s new agreement nearly persuaded Shakhtar as Palkin disclosed the Gunners were close to sealing an agreement to seal the deal.

However, the board of Chelsea unexpectedly arrived in Poland with a £62 million agreement that included £26 million in add-ons. The inclusion of the latter in the agreement was important in prompting the Ukrainian club to choose Chelsea over Arsenal’s offer.

Along with the agreement, the chief executive disclosed how lengthy the negotiations with the Blues were and how the club’s long-term plans and goals under the new owner were laid out on how the club will appear in the future.

These are incredibly encouraging words for Chelsea supporters to hear since the future seems to hold a lot of promise under new ownership.

It stands to reason that the club is struggling right now, which is acceptable. For instance, Manchester United had a patchy record of success prior to manager Eric Ten Hag taking over and implementing his strategies, which helped the team move up the success ladder.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea will make a decision on the future of David Datro Fofana in the second half of January
• Pep Guardiola urges Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to give Graham Potter time
• Chelsea target Wilfried Zaha could only leave Crystal Palace in the summer

We must be patient and trust in our new owner and hope that Mudryk will represent Chelsea with honour on the field and help the club in the matches. As shown above, with Palkin’s comments, we truly went above and beyond to beat the Gunners in the race for him.

He is a long-term investment and the deal is a huge show of our financial prowess. Let us just hope that this isn’t panic buying given our injury situations and evident trouble in front of goal. Although for another London giant like Arsenal to bid big and pursue him for so long shows that Mudryk is no slouch.