If Arsenal win the Premier League this season, they should thank Chelsea, the team that signed Mudryk. Because without this mission, “Gunners” could not buy Trossard.
“No Mudryk, nothing to panic” was the headline given by Goal journalist Charles Watts for a commentary published January 17. A few days earlier, Arsenal lost to Chelsea in the race to sign Mykhailo Mudryk of Shakhtar Donetsk. Immediately, the “Gunners” switched to “plan B” which was Leandro Trossard.
The Opposition of Trossard and Mudryk
Three months later, Charles Watts’ prediction came true. Between Trossard and Mudryk appeared opposition. Uplifters, disappointments. Trossard – a contract that is only Arsenal’s “plan B” – is on its way to becoming an important contract, a promising factor to help Arsenal win the Premier League.
While Arsenal had an unexpected success with Trossard, Mudryk struggled to adapt at Chelsea, branded a “disaster signing” and at risk of spending the season being thrown away. If he could turn back time, Mudryk would probably wish that he had to choose Arsenal as a destination.
Although Arsenal will have to wait until May to find out whether they will win the Premier League or not, the undeniable fact that they have grabbed a bargain is Trossard, who has 7 assists in 11 appearances for the club in the top flight. England. Only Bukayo Saka owns many assists for the Belgian midfielder with 10 clean-ups.
Things turned around too quickly. In January, Arsenal fans were furious when they saw Mudryk move to Chelsea. The Ukrainian midfielder has been pursued by the “Gunners” for a long time. Finally, Chelsea stepped in and quickly got what they wanted by spending up to £88 million.
In contrast, Arsenal spent £27 million to convince Brighton to sell Trossard. In front of the media at that time, coach Mikel Arteta calmly said: “We will carry out the missions that are within the capacity of the club”. The Spaniard showed amazing composure.
For Arsenal at that time, being “robbed” by Chelsea of Mudryk was a big shock. The Ukrainian midfielder conquered coach Arteta. His presence promises to help “Gunners” increase their strength, and at the same time thicken their forces. In fact, Arsenal are said to have put in a lot of work with Mudryk.
Arsenal are not panicking
Deep down, Arteta was probably a little disappointed. But he did not panic. From the outset, Arsenal were adamant that they would not get caught up in a transfer war with Chelsea. That is exactly what happened when the “Gunners” approached Leeds in the Raphinha deal, who later moved to Barca.
Technical Director Edu has always expressed a clear stance. He set a certain number (for transfer – PV) and will give up if everything does not find a common voice. The “Gunners” also know that if Mudryk is selected, he will move to the club in North London (Arsenal) rather than the West (Chelsea).
Chelsea proved more decisive and decisive than Arsenal. They spent £88 million in exchange for talent “set aside for the future”. In contrast, the “Gunners” felt that it would be too risky to put their trust in a young player who had no experience in the Premier League.
“We still have excellent players,” coach Arteta said after the 2-0 win over Tottenham in the 20th round of the Premier League on January 15, when asked about Mudryk’s move to Chelsea. “We want to improve the quality of the squad in the January transfer window. And when I mention this, the whole team will stand together.”
Arsenal found the numbers absurd in the Mudryk deal. They are sticking to a sustainable transfer strategy and do not want to deviate. This is also the identity of Arsenal over time. They said no to “short-term philosophy”, and then the sweet fruit finally came.
In the summer of 2022, Arsenal was surpassed by Manchester United in the Lisandro Martinez deal. Immediately, they switched to Oleksandr Zinchenko, the contract quickly proved his ability, becoming the mainstay on the left wing of the club. Adding to the success with Trossard, Arsenal are showing flexibility and good improvisation.
When “Plan A” failed, Arsenal immediately had “Plan B”. Those are all cards that fit Arteta’s philosophy. There is no sign of panic at the Emirates Stadium team. In the early days of April, the “Gunners” were 8 points ahead of Man City and were firmly on their way to conquering the championship.
In football, there are many factors that determine the success of a new contract. In it, luck plays an important part. But judging the success of Trossard, Zinchenko or Gabriel Jesus all based on luck is unfair to Arsenal, the team shows a very wise spending strategy.
“Gunners” do not want to race in a money war with other competitors. They simply improvise well when they fail. This season, Arsenal rarely lose 2-3 matches in a row. When they fall, they always know how to get up and keep fighting.
As Goal commented: “Missing Mudryk, no panic”. Because Trossard is better than Mudryk, who just had an assist in a new club shirt.