Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has insisted Mykhailo Mudryk’s development is ‘not a straight road’ when explaining why the Ukrainian has been dropped for recent games.
After it long seemed he would sign for Arsenal, the Blues swooped in to sign Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk during the January transfer window for a fee that could reach a staggering €100m.
He impressed on his debut as a substitute in a 0-0 draw at Liverpool, but struggled when featuring from the off in games which followed and has since been relegated back to the bench.
Potter was asked about his use of Mudryk ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Leicester City on Saturday, revealing there are ‘a lot of factors’ when it comes to managing the winger.
“Of course, every player wants to play and it’s important that players play to improve, I think that’s a fact,” Potter said.
“But at the same time, it’s not a straight road, it’s not just a play and everything happens in a linear way. Sometimes you have to take a step away. Sometimes you just need a bit of training time. Sometimes you need a breather. So there are a lot of factors.
“Hopefully, he can benefit from the time he’s had. And again, it’s not easy for him to just arrive in the middle of what was pre-season for him and to come into a new country, new club, new league, and just hit his absolute maximum level. It is regardless of the fee; I know people will look at the fee but it doesn’t change the situation he is in.
“We’re positive about him. We’re positive about the future for him. But we need just to help them settle and help him understand what he needs to do to help us.”
Graham Potter not surprised by Chelsea forward’s red-hot form
Chelsea manager Graham Potter said Kai Havertz has reaped rewards for all the hard work he did during the difficult period as he spoke about the forward’s recent performance.
After a seven-game goalless streak, the 23-year-old has now scored in the last two games.
But not only that, however, his exceptional performance in these two games also showed that the much-criticised fluid, striker-less football Chelsea are trying to play under Potter can actually work.
Is it simply because Havertz and the other players now understand each other better?
This likely helped, but Potter said for a player of Havertz’s calibre, it was always a matter of time.
“He’s in a really good place,” the manager told Chelsea TV when speaking about the Germany international.
“Throughout the difficult period, he’s given everything.
“Then you know, when you’ve got Kai’s qualities, you do that, and things turn around for you — that’s what it’s done for him.
“It’s a reward for his hard work, I would say, but the team spirit is developing nicely.”
Obviously, six Premier League goals are still an underwhelming record for a first-choice striker at Chelsea.
But he still leads the club’s goalscoring chart, which suggests that it is not an individual problem.
Bringing in a reliable striker may still be the way to go for Chelsea going forward, but for the remainder of the season, Havertz is their best hope.
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