Why Luis Enrique joining Chelsea would spell DOOM for Mudryk

Tom Weber

• Updated: 5 Apr 2023 14:07 BST
• 3 min read

Luis Enrique has been spotted in London as Chelsea continue their search for a new manager.

Graham Potter was finally let go after the Blues' terrible 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa, bringing an end to a disastrous six-month spell. While Julian Nagelsmann has unsurprisingly emerged as the favourite to take over at Stamford Bridge, Todd Boehly and company will conduct a thorough search to avoid another catastrophic knee-jerk decision.

This has allowed other names to be considered for the job, chiefly former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique. The Spaniard has had tremendous success at the club level and would be something of a coup for Chelsea.

The arrival of Barcelona's treble-winning coach could, however, spell doom for one of Chelsea's most expensive players.

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Mudryk not a natural fit?

The player in question is much-maligned January arrival Mykhaylo Mudryk. Having cost a sizeable financial package of up to €100 million, expectations are naturally incredibly high, but he has been completely unable to live up to his price tag as yet.

Indeed, his fortunes may not improve even with a new coach at the helm. Regardless of whether Enrique or Nagelsmann gets the job, Mudryk will not be a natural fit for either manager. In fact, the 22-year-old could be one of the biggest losers at Chelsea if one of the high-profile names suggested comes in.

Nagelsmann prefers his wingers to stay in the interior to make the space in the centre more compact in order to facilitate quick passing. Enrique's teams, meanwhile, don't usually play direct, counter-attacking football which is where the Ukrainian excels, with the Spaniard favouring a possession-based approach.

READ: Nkunku in, Mudryk out: How Chelsea will line up under Luis Enrique

Thus, players like Raheem Sterling and all-but-confirmed summer signing Christopher Nkunku - who are both more useful in possession - would likely be Enrique's preferred wide options, making Mudryk's eight-and-a-half-year contract look like an even more absurd piece of business.