The mid-season World Cup break could give Arsenal a huge advantage in landing Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in January, having become a highly coveted player. The Ukraine international could join as a first-team option to improve both depth and quality at the club.
It comes as Mikel Arteta faces the challenge of battling in all competitions while having a depleted squad on his hands at this stage. The latest example of this came in the Carabao Cup exit to Brighton, where the Gunners were unable to overcome the Seagulls after a number of changes.
"I said from day one that we have a short squad because at the end we left some players," Arteta claimed after the defeat. "It’s what we have. If everyone’s available and no one is injured we are OK, but the moment there is, we know what it is. It’s nothing new. I think I said it the first day after the transfer window."
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January offers the Spaniard a chance to change just that and when asked on the transfer window, he replied: "That’s a window that is open and we’ll have to discuss the opportunities that we have, the capacity that we have for any changes and be on the market for opportunities because we don’t know what’s going to happen the last game before the World Cup. So it’s a lot of options that are open."
It appears to be a request for further reinforcement, but only if the right player arrives to fit those gaps that are currently missing within the squad. The wide areas - particularly on the right- are an issue that may need to be addressed, with Mudryk linked to solve those issues.
The 21-year-old has been likened to Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, while his impressive performances in the Champions League - scoring three and assisting twice in six games has truly put him on the map. That has also increased the likelihood of further suitors, meaning the Gunners have to move fast to land their man.
Reports claim that Arsenal have already made a £52million bid for the winger to do just that, whilst the fact he isn't involved in the World Cup could come as a boost too. That's because the youngster won't be distracted by the competition, giving the club a clear run at making a move for him before January comes around compared to others that may be focused on the World Cup until late December.
It remains to be seen if the Ukrainian star will make a move this January, however he could be a huge difference-maker to the side should he make the switch to the Emirates Stadium.
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