Mudryk completes Tottenham loan as Chelsea winger joins on £75m option deal

Tottenham have thrown a Premier League lifeline to Mykhailo Mudryk, signing the forgotten Chelsea winger on loan just before the transfer deadline and handing him the chance to rebuild a career that stalled badly at Stamford Bridge. The 25-year-old Ukrainian reunites with Roberto De Zerbi, the manager who guided his breakthrough at Shakhtar Donetsk. The deal includes a £75m purchase option, a major show of faith in a player who has not featured in a competitive match since November 2024.

• Mudryk joins Tottenham on loan from Chelsea with a £75m purchase option.
• The Ukrainian reunites with Roberto De Zerbi, his former coach at Shakhtar Donetsk.
• His last competitive appearance came on 28 November 2024 before a doping suspension.
• Tottenham also signed Tosin Adarabioyo from Chelsea for £7m.
• It is the first Tottenham-Chelsea deal since Carlo Cudicini's move in 2009.

A £100m talent in need of a reset: Mudryk's fall at Chelsea

Chelsea paid close to €100m for Mudryk in January 2023, with an initial €70m fee plus up to €30m in add-ons. The London club beat Arsenal to his signature at a moment when the Ukrainian winger was one of the most sought-after attacking players in Europe. But his time at Stamford Bridge never clicked into gear.

The low point arrived with a doping ban following an adverse finding for meldonium, a substance that can boost respiratory capacity and stamina. The Football Association handed him a four-year suspension, but an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport allowed him to settle the case with the FA at the end of July, agreeing a ban equivalent to time already served. The FA itself noted that, under the updated World Anti-Doping Agency rules on meldonium, his sample would not even have been flagged as an adverse finding today.

Why De Zerbi pushed for Mudryk at Tottenham

The driving force behind the move is Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian coach worked with Mudryk at Shakhtar Donetsk during the 2021-22 season, the campaign that put the winger on the map across Europe. De Zerbi was searching for a left-sided attacker to complete a revamped front line featuring Sávio on the right and Omar Marmoush as the central striker, both signed from Manchester City.

Tottenham had previously targeted Cody Gakpo and Iliman Ndiaye, but Liverpool retained the Dutchman and the latter ended up at City. With Mathys Tel starting the season on the left flank, De Zerbi turned to a familiar face. "It's a great feeling. I can't wait to start training and playing for the club, and I'm so excited to be reunited with Roberto De Zerbi. He's my football father. I believe in him. I trust him. I know what he wants from me and with him I always feel I'm improving," Mudryk said.

De Zerbi was equally effusive during Tottenham's pre-season tour of Australia, when the suspension ended: "He's my son. I'm very happy. He deserves to play. He's a cool guy, a top player. Hopefully he can show what he suffered in the last two years in this next season."

A rare Tottenham-Chelsea deal after 16 years without business

The Mudryk move carries extra significance because Tottenham and Chelsea had not done business since 2009, when goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini moved from Stamford Bridge on a free transfer. After 16 years of silence between the two London rivals, the loan agreement opens a channel that had long appeared closed.

Tosin Adarabioyo joins Mudryk in deadline-day double from Chelsea

Mudryk was not the only late arrival from Stamford Bridge. Tottenham also signed centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo for £7m as part of a busy deadline day. The defender replaces Kevin Danso, who left for Sunderland on an initial season-long loan with a mandatory £25m purchase clause.

Spurs also moved midfielder Pape Sarr to Juventus on an initial loan with a buy option, a deal valued at €30m. That outgoing business helped create room for a late-window flurry that has reshaped De Zerbi's squad for the season ahead.

What a strong Tottenham loan would mean for Mudryk

For Mudryk, this loan is about far more than a change of scenery. It is the clearest opportunity he has had to prove the talent that made him one of Europe's most coveted attackers barely two years ago. Back under De Zerbi, the winger steps into a tactical system he knows well and a manager who has already shown he can extract his best football.

If he delivers, the £75m purchase option could turn from a symbolic figure into a serious investment. Tottenham, in any case, retain full control: a loan allows the club to assess his performances before committing to a permanent fee.