Enzo Maresca makes Chelsea transfer admission in wake of Mykhailo Mudryk being hit with indefinite doping suspension ahead of January window

Ahead of Chelsea's final three league fixtures of the year, Maresca has admitted that the potential four-year doping ban Mudryk faces could spark the club into action in the January transfer window. He's suggested that he will have to sit down with other key decision-makers in the New Year to look at addressing the problematic situation and looking for reinforcements.

Mudryk's two years at Chelsea have been extremely underwhelming but this is by far the biggest blow he's faced since joining the club for a whopping £89 million ($109m) back in January 2023. The FA have given the 23-year-old a provisional suspension but this could be boosted to a massive four-year ban after the Ukrainian tested positive for a banned substance. In light of this news (and given Chelsea's recent transfer record) it's not a huge surprise to hear that Maresca could be looking at bringing in a replacement soon.

Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, Maresca said: “We have now games before January. We have Everton, Fulham and Ipswich. After these three games we are going to sit and we are going to decide if we need to do something. Tyrique [George] is going to get minutes and we are going to try to help him to improve day by day.”

As Maresca referenced, Chelsea have three important Premier League fixtures to focus on before the January transfer window begins, against Everton, Fulham and Ipswich Town. But first up they face a dead-rubber Conference League clash with Shamrock Rovers in which they will be heavy favourites once again. With Mudryk now out of the picture, it sounds like youngsters such as Tyrique George are in line for extra game time in these fixtures.