Paul Merson claims Chelsea sanctioned big-money deal for January recruit against Graham Potter's wishes

Prominent pundit and former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson has indicated that Chelsea may not have signed Mykhaylo Mudryk at Graham Potter's insistence.

Mudryk joined the Blues on a deal worth £88 million from Shakhtar Donetsk in the January transfer window. The club notably beat rivals Arsenal to secure the Ukrainian's signature.

Mudryk showed promise in his debut for Potter's side in a cameo off the bench during their 0-0 draw against Liverpool on January 21. He started their next match against Fulham, but was withdrawn at half-time after having little to no impact on the contest. Potter said after the game that the player had a cold.

The forward started again in the 1-1 draw against West Ham United, but has since received just 33 minutes over his last two league matches for the club. Merson believes this could be because Mudryk is not Potter's player.

He told Sky Sports following the Blues' 2-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur on February 26 (as quoted by the Daily Mail):

"At Tottenham, Chelsea did not look like scoring a goal in a year of Sundays. Mykhailo Mudryk is an £88m signing sitting on the bench, it tells you he's not Potter's player.

"If he was his player and if Potter would have gone to the board and said he needed Mudryk, he would have to play him."

Mudryk has averaged just 37 minutes per game in the Premier League since joining Chelsea. He has missed two big chances, is yet to record a key pass and has completed just 20% of his attempted dribbles so far.

Overall, the forward hasn't looked like the player who scored 10 goals and laid out eight assists in 18 matches across competitions for Shakhtar earlier this season.

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Graham Potter's Chelsea face crucial week

Chelsea's season is heavily dependent on the progress they make in the UEFA Champions League. The Blues have already exited the FA Cup, were eliminated early in the EFL Cup and are 14 points behind fourth place in the Premier League.

Graham Potter's side thus have an important week ahead of them. They will first take on struggling Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday, March 4. Leeds notably beat them 3-0 in the reverse fixture at Elland Road earlier this season.

Following that game, Chelsea will host Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on March 7. The Blues are trailing 1-0 in the tie after the first leg.