Arsenal fan wanted Mikel Arteta to slap Mykhailo Mudryk during mid-game exchange | OneFootball

Mykhailo Mudryk was undoubtedly the most surprising signing of Chelsea's hectic January transfer window as Shakhtar Donetsk accepted a late £88.5m bid for the winger who was all set to join London rivals Arsenal.

Before the transfer window even opened, the Ukrainian turned his account into an Arsenal fan-page after hearing that The Gunners were interested in signing him.

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Mikel Arteta was hoping to land Mudryk as he would've been the final piece of the puzzle in the Arsenal squad.

Mykhailo Mudryk's career so far

Before making his multi-million pound move to the Premier League, Mudryk only played in the Ukrainian Premier League. Parent club Shakhtar Donetsk loaned him out to Arsenal Kyiv for the 2018-19 season, where he made 10 appearances, and two seasons later he was again loaned out to Desna Chernihiv, failing to score a competitive goal at both clubs.

The following season, Mudryk became a regular starter at Shakhtar and played 19 games, seven of which were played in the Champions League in Group D against Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Sheriff Tiraspol.

The 2022-23 season saw Mudryk become Shakhtar's star player, competing in 18 games in the first half of the season alone, scoring three goals in the Champions League and seven in the Ukrainian Premier League.

Following a series of social media posts, making it quite obvious to fans that Arsenal was his preferred destination, it came as quite a surprise when it was announced that he would be signing for London rivals Chelsea.

Having been accustomed to Chelsea's scouting method, many people had already joked about the possibility of Chelsea swooping in and stealing another player, but that joke soon became reality.

Although Mudryk made it clear he wanted the Arsenal move, he hasn't shied away from proclaiming his sudden admiration for his new club, saying: "I'm so happy to sign for Chelsea.

"This is a huge club, in a fantastic league, and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career."

Unsurprisingly, this made Arsenal fans unhappy, with many of them more than angry at the Ukrainian, and at their most recent Premier League fixture against Chelsea last night, where The Gunners beat their rivals 3-1, Mudryk was filmed going up to Arteta and giving him a hug before coming on the pitch in the 71st minute.

Video: Mudryk and Arteta's exchange during Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea