Well, one deal that doesn’t appear to be on the cards for Leeds United on deadline day is the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk, with the 25-year-old seemingly heading elsewhere by all accounts.
The Ukrainian, who last featured for Chelsea in a competitive game back in November 2024, had been the subject of a loan bid from the Elland Road side earlier this month, with the winger pushing to leave Stamford Bridge in search of regular game time.
That offer was ultimately rebuffed, with Mudryk instead set to join Tottenham Hotspur, linking up with former Shakhtar Donetsk boss, Roberto De Zerbi. A chance missed for Leeds, or a potential blessing in disguise?
Why Leeds might have dodged a bullet on Mudryk
There’s no denying that Leeds are still lacking something in the forward line, particularly with the lively Wilfried Gnonto seemingly heading to Serie A side Fiorentina.
Mudryk, even amid his lengthy absence, might well have offered a potential spark in that regard, the fleet-footed speedster having shown flashes of his quality in west London to date.
And yet, that being said, he hasn’t really ever lived up to the billing since signing back in January 2023, joining the Blues for a total price of nearly £88m.
That eye-watering sum simply hasn’t been repaid, even if Mudryk’s overall Chelsea record of 21 goals and assists in 73 games in all competitions isn’t disastrous.
It is worth noting too that much of his best work has come in Europe or in domestic cup competitions, actually only recording five goals and six assists in his 53 Premier League appearances so far.
Mudryk Career Record | ||
|---|---|---|
Team | Games | Goals (Assists) |
Chelsea | 73 | 10 (11) |
Shakhtar | 44 | 12 (17) |
Desna Chernigiv | 11 | 0 (0) |
Arsenal Kyiv | 10 | 0 (0) |
Ukraine | 28 | 3 (5) |
Perhaps the biggest issue too is the potential price tag that Spurs could well pay next summer, with a staggering fee of £75m having been mooted.
Let’s face it, a player who hasn’t played in almost two years shouldn’t be commanding anywhere close to that figure. Leeds could well reap the rewards of sealing another signing instead.
How Leeds can move on from Mudryk setback on deadline day
It does appear set to be a busy end to the window at Elland Road, with a deal for Nice defender Malvin Bard close to completion, the 25-year-old set to arrive as competition for Gabriel Gudmundsson at left-back.
Daniel Farke appears to love bolstering his backline, but attacking signings, like in the case of Mudryk, have been in short supply, Harry Wilson aside.
Looking for someone to potentially partner or even rival Dominic Calvert-Lewin through the middle, one option might well be Wolverhampton Wanderers’ forward, Hwang Hee-chan.
As per transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, the South Korean striker is looking to leave Molinuex on deadline day, with Leeds among a string of clubs who have all been ‘spoken to’.
Crystal Palace, Hull City and Burnley have also held talks of their own, with the expectation being that the 30-year-old will leave as he is not in manager Cesar Peixoto’s plans.
Hwang, fresh from having featured at the World Cup, hasn’t been involved at all with Wolves so far this season, hence the desire to move on before tonight’s deadline.
He was, of course, part of the squad that suffered relegation last term, although he’s shown plenty at Premier League level to be encouraged by, certainly more so than Mudryk.
In stark contrast to the Ukrainian’s dismal Premier League record, Hwang’s spell has been far more fruitful, memorably scoring and assisting 15 times back in 2023/24.
In all, he’s scored 24 and assisted seven in England’s top flight, albeit from 133 games, with there greater evidence to suggest he can flourish at Elland Road, in comparison to Mudryk.
Indeed, even last term, in which he drifted in and out of the Wolves team, Hwang still scored and assisted four Premier League goals, having also scored two from only five starts in 2024/25.
At his best, he’s a direct, mobile forward who could work beautifully in tandem with Calvert-Lewin, someone who can lead the press from the front and stretch the defence in behind with his searing pace.
That was evident as he scored 12 times in that 2023/24 campaign, proving rather clinical has he only missed eight ‘big chances’ and boasted a 27% goal conversion rate.
Formerly part of the Red Bull group too, the experienced striker did sparkle in the past for Salzburg, scoring 45 goals in 126 games in Austria, alongside recording a further 29 assists.
For comparison, Mudryk has only ever scored 25 senior goals for club and country, highlighting just what a gamble Spurs have taken. As for Leeds, even if not the most glamorous addition, Hwang feels like a potentially astute deal for the 49ers.
