Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who has struggled to justify his £89 million transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk, is now facing an even greater challenge after failing a doping test.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian has been provisionally suspended following the discovery of a banned substance in his ‘A’ sample from an October test.
A second analysis of his ‘B’ sample has been requested to confirm the findings, but the news casts a shadow over Mudryk’s career in west London, where his form has been under scrutiny since his arrival in January 2023.
Despite his struggles on the pitch, Mudryk has been praised for his work ethic. A former teammate revealed, “He felt the pressure of the transfer, 100%.
He was a good trainer, always doing extra gym work. But the criticism, especially from fans, was hard to take.”
Mudryk’s Chelsea journey began under Graham Potter but failed to gain momentum under both Mauricio Pochettino and current manager Enzo Maresca.
Limited to just one Premier League start this season, his future with the Blues now looks even more uncertain.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Mudryk denied knowingly using any banned substances: “I can confirm that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance. This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules. I’m working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.”
Chelsea also expressed their support for Mudryk, stating: “The FA recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test. Both the club and Mykhailo fully support the FA’s testing programme. Mykhailo has categorically confirmed that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.”
Under WADA regulations, a positive doping test could lead to a suspension of up to four years. Mudryk now faces a tense wait as the process unfolds.
The situation draws comparisons to Paul Pogba’s recent doping case. The Juventus midfielder faced an initial four-year ban for testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) but successfully appealed to have his suspension reduced to 18 months.
For Mudryk, who has been fighting to prove his worth to Chelsea, the failed test represents a significant setback at a time when his dedication to improvement was finally beginning to show signs of promise.