"He'll get physically bigger and stronger" - Ex-Liverpool star claims Chelsea signing Mykhailo Mudryk could develop like Real Madrid icon

Chelsea took a bold step in the transfer market this winter as they splashed a whopping €100 million to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. Following the attacker's switch to Stamford Bridge, former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has claimed that the forward could develop like Real Madrid legend Gareth Bale.

The Blues had to beat off stern competition from multiple clubs, including Arsenal, to secure Mykhailo Mudryk's signature. Explaining why there was serious interest from European heavyweights, Collymore noted that many clubs had high expectations for the forward. He even claimed that they saw him as a future Ballon d'Or winner.

The former Liverpool man said in an exclusive interview with CaughtOffside:

“As for Mudryk’s potential, teams, not just Chelsea, have high expectations for the lad. There are other clubs who believe he is a future Ballon d’Or winner so he’s clearly very, very highly rated."

He added:

“I’m not going to predict Mudryk’s future and say he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or, it’s way too early for any of that – but he is a good player. He’s direct, he’s got outrageous pace, very confident, he can weigh in with goals and he can beat defenders before putting in good crosses.”

Collymore went on to explain that Mykhaylo Mudryk has the potential to develop even bigger and stronger at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman added that the Ukrainian could develop in the same way former Real Madrid man Bale did during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.

He added:

“I think he’ll get physically bigger and stronger as he develops at Chelsea similar to how Gareth Bale developed at Spurs. Both left-wingers, both have that ability to blast past opposition players so if there was a comparison to be made, I think Mudryk could replicate the type of player Bale was."

The Ukrainian has contributed 10 goals and eight assists in 18 games for Shakhtar this season across competitions.

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The figures behind Mykhaylo Mudryk's transfer to Chelsea

The player is already in London.

As expected, Mudryk's move to Stamford Bridge didn't come on cheap. According to the DailyMail, the Blues had to cough up a whopping £88 million to convince Shakhtar Donetsk to part ways with one of their prized asset.

Mudryk has signed a massive eight-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League giants, which will keep him in London until the summer of 2031. He will reportedly pocket a mouth-watering £100,000 per week at the club.

The forward has already been presented as a new signing to the fans. It remains to be seen if Graham Potter will throw him into action when Chelsea take on Liverpool at Anfield this weekend.