Mykhaylo Mudryk

Key strength: Pace and dribbling

Wide creator

In the wreckage of Chelsea's catastrophic start—five consecutive defeats leaving them marooned in 10th place—Mykhaylo Mudryk stands as both symbol of unfulfilled promise and potential lifeline. The 25-year-old Ukrainian winger has managed just 270 minutes across four appearances this season under Enzo Maresca, his goal and assist columns stubbornly blank at zero. Yet this is a player who has delivered 22 goals and 30 assists in 150 Chelsea appearances, proof that end product exists beneath the surface. Valued at €60 million—a notable haircut from the €70 million Shakhtar Donetsk extracted in 2023—Mudryk finds himself locked in a brutal hierarchy with Jamie Gittens for the left-wing berth. His devastating pace (73) and fearless dribbling (73) remain intact, but translating that into tangible contributions has become paramount. With European qualification hopes hanging by a thread and form reading LWDLL, Maresca needs Mudryk's explosive wide threat to ignite. The enigma must become the answer—and quickly.