Chelsea are in League Cup action for the first time in the 2024/25 campaign as they prepare to welcome League Two leaders Barrow to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Enzo Maresca‘s side come into this clash off the back of successive wins in the Premier League over Bournemouth and West Ham United, scoring four goals and keeping two clean sheets.
The Italian head coach may target this competition as a trophy that can be won in his first season, after Mauricio Pochettino led the club to the final last term.
This particular clash, however, provides the manager with an opportunity to rotate his squad and offer minutes to some of the fringe players in the group.
Chelsea set to start rarely-seen flop
According to GIVEMESPORT, Mykhailo Mudryk will be given ‘one more’ chance to prove to Maresca that he has a future at Stamford Bridge in this game against Barrow on Tuesday night. The report claims that the Ukraine international will be handed an opportunity to shine from the start against lower league opposition and that it could be make or break for his career in London.
It states that the Blues ‘seriously’ considered cashing in on the former Shakhtar Donetsk forward during the summer transfer window, and that there is a chance that he could be moved on in January if he cannot establish himself as a regular fixture for the club in the Premier League.
This is why this match against Barrow is a potentially defining moment for the winger, because a poor display in this cup clash may end his chances of breaking into the first-team at league level. Chelsea reportedly splashed out a significant fee of £88.5m to sign the prospect from Ukraine at the start of 2023, and he has yet to live up to the hype.
Mykhailo Mudryk’s Chelsea struggles
Despite earning more per week (£100k) than Nicolas Jackson (£60k) and Noni Madueke (£50k), Mudryk has produced little in the way of quality for the Blues. Jackson and Madueke have combined for seven goals and two assists in the Premier League so far this season, with the former having scored four goals in five games so far.
Meanwhile, the Ukraine international has appeared in just two of the club’s five matches, starting once, and failed to provide a goal or an assist in his 62 minutes on the pitch.
|
Mykhailo Mudryk’s Premier League career |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats |
22/23 |
23/24 |
24/25 |
|
Appearances |
15 |
31 |
2 |
|
Starts |
7 |
18 |
1 |
|
Goals |
0 |
5 |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
6 |
1 |
|
Assists |
2 |
2 |
0 |
As you can see in the table above, Mudryk has failed to nail down a regular starting berth on the flank since his big-money move to Stamford Bridge at the start of 2023. The 23-year-old winger has not done enough to convince Maresca that he has a long-term future as a starter for Chelsea, so far, with his lack of quality in the final third, particularly in comparison to players like Jackson and Madueke – who earn far less per week in wages.
Tuesday’s clash with Barrow now looks like it could be make or break for his career with the club, as a poor performance could push him further down the pecking order ahead of the January window.
