“Inflated”- Pat Nevin makes sense of Chelsea’s January outlay for attacking sensation

Pat Nevin compares the price of Mykhailo Mudryk to former Chelsea star Damien Duff

Speaking to Football Betting Online (h/t Football.London), former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has compared the price of the club’s January signing Mykhailo Mudryk to former star Damien Duff.

Chelsea beat London rivals Arsenal in the race to sign Mudryk for £88.5m in January. The Ukraine international has signed a contract until 2031 here.

Going back to the days when Duff used to play on the wing on either side, he scored 19 goals and supplied 28 assists for us in 125 appearances in all competitions. He was at Chelsea for three seasons between 2003 and 2006 and won back-to-back league titles in 2005 and 2006 along with lifting the League Cup in 2005.

Here’s what Nevin said about the Mudryk’s price tag and why Duff would have cost something similar now (h/t Football.London):

“Damien Duff would be worth around the same price as Mykhailo Mudryk if he was playing now, so around £80 million. Chelsea have done these club record deals loads over the years, you could say the same with Eden Hazard, how much would a young Hazard be worth in today’s market? It makes sense why the market has inflated because of all the TV revenue and more, which is why I think players like Hazard and Duff would be worth a lot more in today’s market.”

Let’s come back from the past and talk about the present, shall we? It is because there is no reason to compare the price tags of players of different eras. One cannot put a definitive figure to it because markets change. We never know what will happen to the market in 10 years for example. Landscapes change in months these days.

What we know is that Mudryk is a top player who would be a great signing for Chelsea. The 22-year-old made his mark early as well with a blistering debut against Liverpool at Anfield three weeks ago.

The display against Fulham was a bit understated, but manager Graham Potter later confirmed that he had a cold which restricted his game time to only 45 minutes versus the London rivals.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea yet to make a decision on Juventus loanee Denish Zakaria
• Borussia Dortmund welcome back several stars ahead of UEFA Champions League clash vs Chelsea
• Chelsea hire All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka on a short-term basis

Mudryk has all the tools to succeed at Stamford Bridge. We just have to be patient with him and not judge him for every bad touch he has on the field. The high price tag is not his fault.