Arsenal knew they dodged Mykhailo Mudryk bullet less than a month after Chelsea transfer hijack

Things have not exactly gone to plan for Mykhailo Mudryk at Chelsea. The Ukrainian signed on the dotted line in the January transfer window, having looked for all the world like he was signing for Arsenal.

The Gunners had been in pole position to sign the young forward, following some dazzling Champions League displays for Shakhtar Donetsk. However, they saw two bids swiftly rejected by Shakhtar throughout the course of the January window, despite a constant theme of the player himself pushing for a move on social media.

Mudryk was quickly identified as Edu Gaspar's number one target for an attacking signing, but Chelsea were the eventual winners of the transfer race after Todd Boehly paid £88million for his services. Arsenal eventually pivoted to sign Leandro Trossard from Brighton, with the Belgian impressing in cameo appearances for the Gunners after his arrival.

But less than a month after signing for the Blues, Arsenal will have seen they dodged a bullet, which has become even more prevalent now, with the new Premier League season under way. Mudryk is yet to score a goal for the Blues and has managed two assists for his new club in 18 appearances, mainly from the substitutes' bench.

In one game against the league's bottom club Southampton at the end of last season, a damning statistic emerged that may have had Arsenal breathing a sigh of relief. Mudryk came off the bench against the Saints but was unable to prevent a shock loss at home to the league's bottom side.

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Sky Sports after the game reported that the 22-year-old had lost possession a whopping 20 times within the 40 minutes he featured after coming off the bench — the most