Tottenham’s decision to sign Mykhailo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline day has left many across the game puzzled.
Spurs have signed Mudryk on loan with an option to buy for £75m, and it is the value of the purchase option that has garnered a strong reaction from many across the media.
Many are questioning the logic of agreeing to such a big clause for a player who has not played competitive football for nearly two years and looked well short of the required standard ahead of a doping ban.
However, no one knows Mudryk better than Roberto De Zerbi, who managed him at Shakhtar Donetsk, and the Spurs boss believes that the winger could be at the right age to explode at N17.
Former Tottenham scout blasts club’s decision to sign Mykhailo Mudryk
The 25-year-old made his debut for Spurs as a substitute at Nottingham Forest, and De Zerbi admitted after the game that Mudryk is not at the required level physically.
Former Tottenham scout Bryan King is convinced that this is a poor signing by the Lilywhites, confidently asserting that De Zerbi is not going to get a tune out of the on-loan Chelsea star.
When asked about the deal, King told Football Insider: “Good luck with that. I mean, £75m? He hasn’t played football for two years, has he? Well, I wouldn’t put it past Tottenham to waste £75m again.
“Because they’ve been wasting money all the last three years. They’ve been bringing in players with big names, and obviously, it looks as though the management or the coaching staff can’t handle these big-name players. They certainly ain’t getting the performance from them. Mudryk, never fancied him at all.”
Bryan King says Mudryk has to score 25 goals for Spurs to pay £75m
Mudryk was considered one of the best young players in the world by many before his move to the Premier League, with even Arsenal rumoured to have battled Chelsea for his services.
However, King has insisted that he has seen nothing in the Ukrainian to suggest that he can shine at Premier League level.
When asked about prior links to Arsenal, the former Spurs scout said: “I could not see him fitting into an Arsenal football team. Just couldn’t see it. I think a lot of that was hype that had come from the agents. Feeding newspapers with stories that they would like to happen, but they never would.
“I couldn’t believe the fellow. I mean, it’s a bit like when Chelsea signed [Andriy] Shevchenko. Nobody wanted him at the football club apart from [Roman] Abramovich. And to be fair, he had more about him than what this fellow’s got.
“As I say, good luck with that loan signing. And I’ll tell you what, he’s got to put in some performances if they’re going to pay £75m for him. He’s got to win them the Premier League. He’s certainly got to score 25 goals.”