Will Mykhailo Mudryk ever play for Chelsea again? Suspended Blues winger fighting for his career three years on from Arsenal transfer snub
The most significant problem for the suspended attacker is that he is almost certain to face an ban, even if he continues to plead his innocence. The FA’s anti-doping rules state that intent to consume a banned substance does not affect culpability, and claiming to have taken one unknowingly is not a defence that will stand up in court.
Essentially, a player will be found guilty of a doping breach if that substance is found in their body, regardless of how it got there. Mudryk could face a four-year ban in the worst-case scenario, which is the standard length under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) code.
If that ban is reduced on appeal to CAS to 18 months like Pogba’s was, for example, then backdated to his provisional suspension in December 2024, the winger will still not be eligible to return until June 2026. However, the complexity of the investigation is reflected in the fact that it has already taken the FA significantly longer than the Italian authorities did to reach their verdict on the ex-Juve man, and it could still be some time before Mudryk is banned, able to appeal and subsequently have that appeal heard.
Should he be able to return in the summer, then it would be very little surprise to see Chelsea help the 25-year-old to recover his match fitness in pre-season before finding him a new home in the transfer window, potentially on an initial loan. In the long run, they stand to make a huge loss on the player they beat Arsenal to three years ago.
