by
Chelsea manager Graham Potter says he has “no idea” of how the Blues secured the £62m signing of Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk.
Mudryk had looked set to sign for Premier League rivals Arsenal before he completed the move to Stamford Bridge.
“We’re delighted he is here,” said Potter after the Blues’ 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday.
When asked whether he had any part in convincing Mudryk to choose Chelsea, Potter said: “I’ve no idea in terms of how it’s happened.
“I’ve been focusing on the game, as you can imagine, but he’s an exciting player – a player with real quality, a young player that will need time to adapt to the Premier League and to us, but we’re delighted to have him.”
Todd Boehly, who led an American consortium in taking control of Chelsea in May last year, has recently stepped down from his role as interim sporting director, allowing new technical director Christopher Vivell and director of global talent and transfers Paul Winstanley to take a leading role in recruitment.
Mudryk is Chelsea’s fifth signing of the January transfer window following the arrival of Joao Felix on a loan deal from Atletico Madrid, plus the permanent signings of Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos.
Until this season Mudryk had only scored two goals in 47 appearances for three different clubs in Ukraine, but he increased his stature in this season’s Champions League, scoring three goals in six games for Shakhtar.
He could make his debut appearance for the Blues in the Premier League against Liverpool, who sit one position above 10th-placed Chelsea, at Anfield on Saturday.
