Xabi Alonso has welcomed the news that Mykhailo Mudryk’s four-year doping ban has been overturned, calling the Chelsea winger a special player while cautioning that a return to form will take time.
Alonso spoke after Chelsea lost a pre-season friendly 2-1 to Tottenham in Sydney, saying the club had not expected the news to come so soon. Mudryk, 25, will now travel to Hong Kong to join his team-mates on their pre-season tour. Alonso said he had not yet spoken to the player directly.
Alonso said the club was very happy and that he remembered watching Mudryk at Shakhtar Donetsk, recalling how quick he is, how good he is in one-on-one situations, and how he could create chances on his own. He added that Mudryk is a special player but will need time to get back up to speed.
Mudryk had not appeared for Chelsea since November 2024. The club signed him for £89 million from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023 on an eight-and-a-half-year contract. His career was halted after he was charged with failing a doping test, with the exposure believed to have occurred while he was on international duty with Ukraine in September 2024. WADA later increased its reporting threshold following developments in scientific guidance, which contributed to the ban being cut short.
Alonso said it would have been very hard for Mudryk, who had been training alone every day and was not allowed to play or be part of a team. He said the club wanted Mudryk to feel supported by everyone, including team-mates and staff.
On whether Mudryk would stay at Chelsea or move on loan to sister club Strasbourg, Alonso said it was too early to say and that the club needed to assess his fitness and match sharpness first.
