Tottenham sign Chelsea’s Mudryk on loan
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Tottenham Hotspur have signed Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk on a season-long loan, with an option to make the deal permanent for £75m. The move reunites the 25-year-old Ukraine international with head coach Roberto de Zerbi, who previously managed him at Shakhtar Donetsk, and comes after Chelsea turned down offers from Leeds before Spurs entered the race late, having missed out on other targets including Iliman Ndiaye and Cody Gakpo.
Mudryk had not played competitively since November 2024 after being provisionally suspended over a positive test for the banned substance meldonium; he accepted an anti-doping breach last month and became free to return with immediate effect, having always denied knowingly taking the drug. He is Spurs' ninth signing in a summer in which they have spent over £300m, with the permanent capture of Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo also expected before deadline day ends; Mudryk, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar for £61m in 2023 and scored 10 goals in 73 games, said he was "grateful" to return after "the most difficult period" of his career.
- Tottenham sign Mudryk on loan, with £75m option to buy
- Move reunites him with former Shakhtar boss Roberto de Zerbi
- Chelsea rejected Leeds bids before Spurs' late swoop
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Tottenham Hotspur are a Premier League football club based in north London. Chelsea are one of their rivals, also based in London. Clubs regularly buy, sell or loan players to and from each other, especially during "transfer windows" – set periods when these deals can happen – and deadline day marks the final day of the summer window.
Mykhailo Mudryk is a 25-year-old Ukrainian winger who joined Chelsea from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023 for a large fee. He had not played for over a year after being provisionally suspended following a positive drugs test, a case he has since resolved with anti-doping authorities, meaning he is now free to play again. His new head coach at Tottenham, Roberto de Zerbi, previously coached him at Shakhtar, which is one reason the move has been seen as a natural fit.
The transfer matters because it is part of a very heavy summer of spending by Tottenham, and because Mudryk is returning to top-level football after a lengthy absence linked to the doping case. It also reflects the wider late-window scramble among Premier League clubs to strengthen their squads before the deadline closes.
Full account
Tottenham Hotspur have signed Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk on a season-long loan, with an option to make the move permanent for £75m, in a deal completed as the summer transfer window drew to a close. The 25-year-old Ukraine international, who won 28 caps, is reunited at Spurs with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who managed him at Shakhtar Donetsk before his switch to Chelsea in January 2023. Mudryk said he was thrilled to be working with De Zerbi again and described himself as a player who offers pace and creativity in both attack and defence, adding that he hoped to excite Spurs supporters. De Zerbi said he knew exactly what Mudryk could offer, praising his speed and effectiveness in one-on-one situations, while stressing that he would demand a lot from the winger to help him find his best form.
The move follows a difficult period for Mudryk, who has not featured in a competitive match since late November 2024 after being provisionally suspended over an adverse doping test for meldonium, a substance that can boost stamina and respiratory capacity. He was initially handed a four-year ban by the Football Association, but after taking his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport he reached a resolution with the FA at the end of July, accepting a rules breach while receiving a suspension equivalent to time already served and being cleared to return immediately. It was noted that revisions to World Anti-Doping Agency guidance on meldonium meant a test like his would not now trigger an adverse finding. Mudryk trained and played during Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, featuring in a friendly against Juventus, but was left out of Xabi Alonso's matchday squads for the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
Spurs turned to Mudryk relatively late in the transfer window after missing out on other attacking targets, including Everton's Iliman Ndiaye, who joined Manchester City, and Liverpool's Cody Gakpo, who stayed at Anfield. Chelsea had reportedly discussed a deal with Leeds United and turned down at least one bid before Tottenham's move materialised. The loan forms part of a heavy summer of recruitment for Spurs, in which the club is reported to have committed more than £300m across nine signings, with the permanent capture of Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo also expected to be finalised around the same time. For De Zerbi, the deal addresses a specific tactical need for a left-sided attacking outlet to complement summer arrivals Sávio and Omar Marmoush, both recruited from Manchester City, having started the campaign using Mathys Tel in that role.
Mudryk arrived at Chelsea from Shakhtar in a deal that had attracted competition from several major European clubs, including Arsenal, after he impressed in the Champions League during the first half of the 2022-23 season. He took time to settle in England, not scoring his first Chelsea goal until October 2023, and finished his first full season at Stamford Bridge with seven goals and four assists; across his time at the club he managed ten goals and eleven assists in 73 appearances in all competitions. His spell at Chelsea also spanned considerable managerial upheaval, with Graham Potter, who signed him, later replaced by Frank Lampard, Mauricio Pochettino and, most recently, Enzo Maresca's successor Xabi Alonso.
Where outlets differ
The two accounts value the original Chelsea deal differently: the BBC cites an initial fee of £61m, while the Guardian describes a total package of around €100m (£89m), made up of an initial €70m plus €30m in add-ons.
The Guardian goes into considerably more depth on the doping case, detailing the specific substance (meldonium), the four-year ban, the CAS appeal and the WADA rule change, and frames Mudryk more dramatically as a 'forgotten' player being given a 'lifeline'; the BBC treats the doping episode more briefly and in a more neutral tone.
The BBC places the signing in the context of Tottenham's wider deadline-day activity, mentioning the expected Tosin Adarabioyo deal and Chelsea's separate move for Monaco's Camara, which the Guardian does not cover.
The Guardian gives more detail on De Zerbi's tactical rationale, naming Sávio, Marmoush and Mathys Tel as part of the reshaped forward line, and adds historical context that Spurs and Chelsea had not done business since Carlo Cudicini's free transfer in 2009 — details absent from the BBC report.
The BBC includes more of Mudryk's on-pitch statistical record at Chelsea (goals, assists, appearances) and the managerial changes he played under, which the Guardian omits.
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