Jamie Carragher has suggested that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola could have inadvertently triggered Arsenal’s interest in Mykhaylo Mudryk.
The Gunners have long been linked with a move for the Ukrainian wideman, with Mikel Arteta keen to bolster his attacking options at Emirates Stadium. Talks are underway between Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk and Mudryk has reportedly agreed terms for January switch, but the two sides are yet to agree a fee.
Ahead of a potential move, with the transfer window open, Carragher has suggested that Arteta’s spell with City triggered the Gunners’ interest in the winger, with Arsenal aiming to emulate the reigning Premier League champions’ deep and talented squad.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former Liverpool defender Carragher said of Arsenal: “They’re after Mykhaylo Mudryk. When I’ve seen him play in the Champions League, he’s been left wing and Gabriel Martinelli is there right now, he’s been outstanding. Maybe one of them will go through the middle?
“If they want to compete with Manchester City – and they are doing that right now but I’m talking about in all competitions and for the next few years like Liverpool have done – you need options from the bench.
“Mikel Arteta knows that better than anyone from his time at Manchester City. I think Mudryk would be a really exciting signing, from what we’ve seen in the Champions League.”
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Mudryk, 21, has enjoyed an excellent season with Shakhtar, scoring 10 goals and notching eight assists in 18 appearances in all competitions. He appears to have dropped a number of hints over a move to the Emirates, having tuned into a clutch of the Gunners’ matches this season.
Shakhtar boss Igor Jovicevic has already urged the young winger to remain with the club despite the interest from Arsenal. Speaking last month, he said of Mudryk: "This management will decide what to do when there is an option to sell a football player, the star of the team.
"As a coach, of course, I would like such a player to play as long as possible in the team, to build a quality Shakhtar around him, so that everyone gains momentum, gains experience and does what, perhaps, the team once did in the Champions League.
"With our efforts, talent and ambition, I think we could do it together eventually. They are young, I say again, young. There are several football players in Dinamo [Zagreb], for example, [Josko] Gvardiol, who plays for [RB] Leipzig and today played in the World Cup, the Spaniard Dani Olmo, who played in Zagreb.
"Each of them played at least 100 matches for the club and only then moved from the intermediate club, and not immediately to Barcelona and Manchester City."
