The focus of what the Mykhaylo Mudryk transfer could bring to Arsenal is very much on the here and now. Why wouldn’t it be?
Arsenal find themselves in a race to sign perhaps the most highly regarded youngster on the continent not yet at one of the elite clubs in Europe. The signature would be a statement move and potentially a record deal if the Ukrainian side get their valuation of the player.
In a season where Arsenal sit top of the table, all the talk is on what Mykhaylo Mudryk can add to the team and how his impact might aid in clinching a first Premier League title since 2004. However, the acquisition of the 22-year-old could have a far wider influence on the view of the Gunners in a country that is gradually becoming a hotbed for young talent that has achieved silverware in recent years.
READ MORE: Mykhaylo Mudryk to Arsenal transfer delay explained as Shakhtar star's dream move drags on
In a discussion with Ukrainian football journalist Andrew Todos, founder of Zorya Londonsk, I put an idea forward. Theorising that having Oleksandr Zinchenko already at the club in combination with the hypothetical acquisition of Mudryk could elevate Arsenal into the minds of young talent coming through from the country to look at the Gunners as a dream destination.
"For sure, it would go a long way in inspiring other Ukrainian footballers to aim for the heights of the Premier League and Arsenal," Todos said. "We would have to see how Mudryk gets along first.
"But for sure it could very well become the dream destination for up-and-coming wonderkids and show the benefits of leaving Ukraine at an early enough age rather than remaining in the Ukrainian Premier League until they’ve plateaued, and development becomes detracted in the career's 'prime' years."
Zinchenko famously was pictured as a youngster wearing an Arsenal shirt. Questioned on the photo he admitted it was evidence that his move to the Gunners was indeed the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
"Yeah, I remember that was in Donetsk when I was at the Shakhtar academy, and like I said already, it’s a dream come true," he said.
It is worth noting that the improvement of Ukrainian football is a developing trend. Although at youth level the nation has had its struggles, the under-20s World Cup success in 2019 stood as an example of what their homegrown talent could achieve.
Just look at the reported price of Mudryk compared to the foreign exports Shakhtar Donetsk have moved on in recent years. The winger will likely become a record departure should he indeed leave, and there’s certainly no smoke without fire.
Everton signed Vitalii Mykolenko in January of last year for a reported £17million deal plus add-ons. The then 22-year-old has been a senior international in the Ukrainian squad for some time.
Viktor Tsygankov, 25, is a slightly older Ukrainian winger but coming through at Dynamo Kyiv has gradually earned more and more interest from outside his home nation. His contract is up in the summer and plenty of sides will be circling him.
20-year-old centre-half Ilya Zabarnyi is another Dynamo Kyiv youth graduate and has drawn the attention of Tottenham too. It's likely he will find a lucrative move to the elite league on the continent at some stage.
It is easy to see why the signing of Mudryk has a benefit for the Gunners in the immediate future and his long-term application is surely why the club are ready to invest so much. However, it is worth considering the lesser-thought-about implications of the move, which will keep the Gunners front and centre for young talents growing up, developing and graduating from the academies of Ukraine.
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