Mudryk joins Spurs on loan from Chelsea after doping ban ends

Arsenal’s English defender #04 Ben White (left) vies with Chelsea’s Ukrainian midfielder #10 Mykhailo Mudryk during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in London on November 10, 2024. Mudryk, whose doping suspension recently ended, has been loaned by Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur for the 2026/27 season, the London clubs announced Tuesday. — AFP pic

First Published: Wednesday, 02 Sep 2026 12:57 PM MYT

LONDON, Sept 2 — Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk, whose doping suspension recently ended, has been loaned by Chelsea to Tottenham Hotspur for the 2026/27 season, the London clubs announced Tuesday.

The 25-year-old winger will look to revitalise his career under Roberto De Zerbi, his former coach at Shakhtar Donetsk, who took over as Spurs manager in March.

“I will demand a lot from Misha (Mudryk) and it is our job to help him find the best version of himself. If we do that then he can become a very important player for us,” De Zerbi said in a Tottenham press release.

“I am very happy he chose to come here, and I cannot wait to work with him again.”

The Football Association cleared Mudryk to play again ian late July following an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that led to the withdrawal of the Ukrainian’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Mudryk was suspended for four years after failing a 2024 drug test that revealed the presence of a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance.

He played a few minutes for Chelsea during pre-season in August, but has not yet made a league appearance this term.

The Ukrainian international, who was signed from Shakhtar for £62 million (RM338 million) in January 2023, last made an official appearance in November 2024. — AFP