Chelsea star who was left out of the squad at the weekend spotted at rival's stadium amid limited minutes

Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk was spotted at the Emirates Stadium as the Gunners took on Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday. This is the first time Mudryk has been seen at the Emirates off-duty after the Gunners lost out to Chelsea for his signature in January 2023.

Mikel Arteta had gone all out for the Ukrainian, as his speed and technique were the qualities he wanted to secure, but they had to settle for Brighton’s Leandro Trossard after Chelsea secured Mudryk’s signature in dramatic fashion, paying a fee reported to be in the region of £60zmillion, with add-ons that could take it to £80 million.

Despite scoring for his country in the international break, Mudryk was left out of the Chelsea team that fought gallantly but lost to Liverpool at Anfield, a move that surprised many. It remains to be seen if he will be in the squad that travels to Greece for the Europa Conference League game against Panathinaikos on Thursday night, as heightened competition has meant he is not getting the minutes he would have liked to keep improving.

This summer, Chelsea signed Joao Felix, Jadon Sancho, and Pedro Neto to add competition for places, which has meant he’s started only one league game and played just 81 minutes in what has been an incredibly difficult start to the season.

What is refreshing to see, though, is that despite the challenging start to the season and the fact that he hasn't been able to showcase the talent that made Chelsea go all out for him, he’s not hiding. There are reports that his visit to the Emirates was to support his former side Shakhtar Donetsk and his country amid the war and everything they continue to endure.

In other team news, Chelsea are expected to make 10 changes for the Europa League game in Greece on Thursday night as they look to return to winning ways following a draw against Nottingham Forest and a defeat to Liverpool.