Mykhailo Mudryk has responded brilliantly to an Arsenal fan who shouted 'London is red' ahead of Chelsea's clash against the Gunners after the international break. Mauricio Pochettino will welcome the Mikel Arteta's side to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 21, as either side looks to climb the Premier League.
The 22-year-old winger was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in the January transfer window before the Blues hijacked a deal at the eleventh hour. football.london understands that talks between Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk were thought to have been progressing well, with Edu confident of securing Mudryk's signature.
The north Londoners remained in contact with the Ukrainian side, but then Chelsea made a late bid worth around €70million (£62million) plus €30million (£26million) worth of add-ons. Just hours later, the Ukraine international was unveiled to Blues supporters at Stamford Bridge.
Despite showing flashes of brilliance, Mudryk struggled to impress at first. But, following the appointment of Pochettino in the summer, he's begun to silence his critics with a handful of eye-catching performances.
With Arsenal enjoying a far richer vein of form than Chelsea in recent times, the youngster has been ridiculed by Gunners fans for his decision to join the Blues instead. During the international break, one supporter took the chance to take a cheeky swipe at Mudryk as he boarded the Ukraine team coach.
"London is Red," one fan said in the video which has gone viral on social media, as quoted by the Metro. Before the fan made the comment, he had ironically asked Mudryk for a selfie.
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"Why are you asking for a picture then?" said Mudryk after posing for the snap. The supporter took the response well and saw the funny side of the exchange.
Chelsea fans will be hoping that Mudryk can lead the west Londoners to victory against Arsenal after the international break. However, despite the winger's incredible potential, Pochettino has reminded supporters that he needs time to develop.
"The life of these guys, when they are so young, [it] changed," the 51-year-old said. "You pay big money, big change from where they came. Also it's not about to arrive and to perform when you are young. It's about to adapt, it's about to help them to settle.
"Then the most difficult thing is to understand what these guys need to settle and to feel comfortable and to express their talent. If you ask me about Mischa, he's a very talented player of course, but you need to go with him very slowly.
"Cultural and everything is completely different to Latin people, from different countries or part of the world. He's now trying to be more open, to adapt and be more involved in every situation, not only on the field but outside also.
"I think he's doing a massive effort to try to integrate himself and to understand better what it means to play like a team. He's unique. I can't find a player to say he is similar, I can't remember one. It's a good challenge for him, and it's a good challenge for us."
