Will Mykhailo Mudryk ever play for Chelsea again? Suspended Blues winger fighting for his career three years on from Arsenal transfer snub

Mudryk was poached from under Arsenal's noses three years ago, much to the irritation of a demanding fanbase, but the north Londoners will now consider that a sliding doors moment as a bullet was dodged. The young wide man had flirted with a move to the Emirates Stadium for some time on social media, with Arsenal first contacting him around October 2022, but was forced to settle for a switch to Stamford Bridge when the Gunners refused to match the structure of their rivals' bid for the then-22-year-old - a decision that left him 'devastated', according to The Athletic.

Mudryk arrived at Chelsea amid the chaos of their 2022-23 campaign, as the club rattled through three head coaches and saw their season unravel under a combination of Graham Potter and interim Frank Lampard, culminating in a humiliating 12th-placed finish in the Premier League.

That was hardly the ideal bedding-in period, with the winger not really given the space or minutes to adapt to the rigours of English football. It set the tone for the following season as he continued to struggle for form and consistency under Mauricio Pochettino, and that trend dragged into 2024-25 with Enzo Maresca in charge, until things went from bad to worse.

It is now more than a year since Mudryk was handed a provisional suspension by the Football Association after a failed drugs test while on international duty with Ukraine in November 2024 - the same month he made his last appearance for Chelsea in the Conference League against Heidenheim.

The then-23-year-old had tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, which is normally used to treat heart conditions but can boost endurance and recovery for athletes. Ex-tennis champion Maria Sharapova was banned for two years after testing positive for the same substance in 2016, before her punishment was reduced on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It was reported at the time that Mudryk was citing contamination while abroad because meldonium is not available in the UK, and he said in a statement after learning of his suspension in December 2024 that he had "never knowingly" consumed anything illicit.

"This has come as a complete shock," he wrote. "I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened."

It is claimed that Mudryk has passed an unverified lie detector test which backed up his claims. However, after months on the sidelines, the winger was formally charged with breaching the FA's anti-doping rules in June 2025, with the investigation still ongoing as he faces the prospect of a four-year ban from football.

In the weeks and months since his provisional suspension, Mudryk's social media activity has become far more sporadic and he has kept a low profile - last making a public appearance in May 2025 in Wroclaw, Poland, as he attended the Conference League final in a private capacity, with Chelsea lifting the trophy by defeating Real Betis.

According to the BBC, the player has largely been spending his time in London since, regularly attending church as a devout Christian, but he is unable to train with his team-mates amid his ongoing suspension, instead working with a private coach at a separate facility to the Blues' Cobham base in Surrey.

His employers are said to be keeping tabs on his progress, but his access to the club, its facilities and his fellow players is described as "extremely limited". In September, he was hit with a six-month driving ban for repeatedly flouting traffic laws.

While Chelsea have remained silent since acknowledging Mudryk's provisional suspension 13 months ago as they await the outcome of the investigation, his former club Shakhtar has been forthright in their defence of their academy graduate.

With the Ukrainian giants facing losing up to £26m ($35m) in potential add-ons from the 2023 transfer as the wide man is still unable to play, the club's sporting director and Croatia legend Dario Srna told the BBC recently: "When we speak about Mudryk, we don't think about the money, we speak about the human being. We feel so sorry for him. We know he is 100 percent innocent - he will show that. We support him like an ex-player, a human being and a friend. We don't think the money is important."

Of course, Paul Pogba is the most prominent recent reference point for a doping ban in football. In September 2023, during his time at Juventus, it was revealed that the Frenchman had tested positive for DHEA - a prohibited hormone which can naturally boost levels of testosterone - and, like Mudryk, he was was provisionally suspended with immediate effect.

In an echo of Mudryk's initial defence, Pogba's agent Rafaela Pimenta said at the time: "The only certain thing is that Paul Pogba never intended to break the rules." However, five months later, he was hit with a devastating four-year ban by the Italian anti-doping authorities.

That was subsequently reduced to 18 months following an appeal to CAS, who accepted that the midfielder had taken DHEA unintentionally in a supplement prescribed to him by a doctor in the United States, but still deemed he was "not without fault" due to his carelessness in that situation as a professional sportsman. With his ban backdated, Pogba was eligible to return to competitive football in March 2025 and has since resumed his career at Monaco.

It is a case that may well set the precedent for Mudryk and gives an idea of the ultimate punishment coming his way, though he could face many more months on the sidelines before an initial verdict is even made. Interestingly, he has hired the same law firm as Pogba to fight his case.

While the FA handles doping cases confidentially, with no indication of what stage their investigation is at or when or what the outcome will be, there have been recent positive noises from the player and his club.

In a New Year's message on his Instagram story to mark the start of 2026, Mudryk told his followers he would 'see them soon' as he urged his supporters 'not to give up' on him. "I just wanted to say thank you for your support," he wrote. "I see all your messages and truly appreciate them, so please don't give up on me as I not give up on myself. Can't wait to see you soon."

A few days later, Chelsea publicly wished their player a happy birthday as he turned 25 - a grace they did not afford frozen-out winger Raheem Sterling recently. Of course, it unclear whether this small, public show of support is significant. Cynics might claim the Blues are trying to protect Mudryk's market value, rather than hinting at his innocence.

Despite those positive signs, the reality is that Mudryk may well have played his last competitive game for Chelsea. If he is officially banned by the FA, then there is the risk that the club could terminate his contract, which is the fate that eventually befell Pogba at Juventus.

The west Londoners have certainly continued to operate in a manner that suggests they are planning to move on without him, signing wingers Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho in the summer, who both operate off the left flank, while wonderkid Estevao Willian has completed his pre-agreed transfer to Stamford Bridge.

The shirt has quite literally been taken off Mudryk's back, too, with Cole Palmer moving from the No.20 to the No.10 that Mudryk had previously occupied. All of this suggests the Ukrainian's time at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end regardless of the outcome of his case.

The most significant problem for the suspended attacker is that he is almost certain to face an ban, even if he continues to plead his innocence. The FA's anti-doping rules state that intent to consume a banned substance does not affect culpability, and claiming to have taken one unknowingly is not a defence that will stand up in court.

Essentially, a player will be found guilty of a doping breach if that substance is found in their body, regardless of how it got there. Mudryk could face a four-year ban in the worst-case scenario, which is the standard length under the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) code.

If that ban is reduced on appeal to CAS to 18 months like Pogba's was, for example, then backdated to his provisional suspension in December 2024, the winger will still not be eligible to return until June 2026. However, the complexity of the investigation is reflected in the fact that it has already taken the FA significantly longer than the Italian authorities did to reach their verdict on the ex-Juve man, and it could still be some time before Mudryk is banned, able to appeal and subsequently have that appeal heard.

Should he be able to return in the summer, then it would be very little surprise to see Chelsea help the 25-year-old to recover his match fitness in pre-season before finding him a new home in the transfer window, potentially on an initial loan. In the long run, they stand to make a huge loss on the player they beat Arsenal to three years ago.