Should Arsenal sign Mykhailo Mudryk?
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Introduction
Mykhailo Mudryk has been consistently linked with Arsenal.F.C this season but not many people really know if he's that good. Here at Arsenal Outpost we analyse Murdryk and explain whether or not he would be a good fit for Arsenal.
Mudryk stands at 5'8(175cm) so he's quite small and isn't the strongest player around. Murdryk is one of the fastest players in Europe clocking a top speed of 36.6 km/h this UCL season. His ability to beat defenders in a foot race, helps him glide past opposition players and beat the offside trap with ease.
But Mudryk isn't just a speed merchant, he is also a decent finisher and a creative player with 10 goals and 8 assists in 18 games. Murdryk averages 0.52 non-penalty goals per90 which is the 99th percentile of midfielders in the top 5 leagues. He averages 1.05 shots on target and 66.7% of his shots get on target, displaying his incredible accuracy when he shoots.
Mudryk is good at creating chances and goals but he doesn't play that many passes averaging 28.86 per 90 but shockingly completes 72% of them which is in the bottom 6% of midfielders in the Top 5 leagues. Arsenal is a possession oriented team which relies on each player in the system to be incredible passers of the ball, Murdryk is not that type of player. However, Murdryk still is a good creator averaging 0.7 goal creating actions per 90 which is in the 98th percentile.
Mudryk is also an excellent dribbler of the ball completing 1.74 dribbles per90 which is the 95th percentile. He also averages 2.79 touches in the opposition penalty area which is in the 94th percentile. These two incredible stats show how incredible Murdryk is one of the best dribblers and direct threats in Europe. His pace and trickery combined with his outstanding directness can give some of the best defenders in the world headaches.
However, Mudryk is not the perfect player, he may be an incredible dribbler of the ball but he is unable to always keep it in his possesion. Mudryk can often be seen digging himself into hole he cannot get out of when he could have avoided it by simply laying it off to his teamate.
Mudryk loses the ball a lot in games, he may complete a high volume of dribbles but this is because of the incredibly high volume of dribbles he attempts averaging 5.76 per 90 which is in the 99th percentile. But he only completes 30.3% of them per 90 which is in the bottom 5% of midfielders in the top 5 leagues. He also lacks in the ball control department with Mudryk miss controlling the ball 3.31 times per 90.
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Mudryk is also not a very progressive passer of the ball. He only makes 1.4 progressive passes per 90 which is in the bottom 1% and he averages 0.87 key passes per 90 which is in the 43rd percentile. He also averages 0.7 passes into the final third showing his lack of involvement in Shakhter’s attacking moves in terms of passing. He favours dribbling the ball up the pitch rather than help move it along faster through passing
In terms of how he would fit in at Arsenal, Murdryk would be able to play on either flank of their forward line and would offer good cover for Martinelli and Saka in a long season with a lot of matches.
Conclusion
Mudryk is a fantastic footballer with bags of talent and lots of goal involvements this season. But the underlyng numbers show us that Murdryk is a sloppy passer of the ball and is a fairly selfish player who often loses possession of the ball. But with the right training his explosiveness and directness can be accompanied by better decision making. If the Ukrainian wonderkid can develop a higher football IQ and improve his ability to look to play the best pass he can become one of the best wingers in the Premier League if he joins Arsenal.
In spite of that, Arsenal are in the middle of a title race and need proven players to support them and Mudryk simply cannot be given the proper training and dedication he needs right now at Arsenal. Maybe at the end of this season or summer of 24’ we can look at signing him but right now we cannot afford to bring in an expensive gamble who at £80 to £100 million simply isn't worth it.
