Mykhailo Mudryk's Surprising Move to Tottenham: Loan Deal Insights

Tottenham are on the brink of one of the most surprising moves of the window, closing in on a loan deal for Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who has not kicked a ball in competitive football for more than a year.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano told GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness podcast that the Ukrainian will sign his Spurs contract on Tuesday afternoon, with only the final formalities left before the move is announced on deadline day.

From doping suspension to North London lifeline

Mudryk’s career has been stuck in cold storage. A positive doping test led to a lengthy suspension and he has not featured for Chelsea in any capacity since December 2024. That cloud has now lifted: the charges were dropped and he has been cleared to play again.

His path back into the Chelsea side, though, is blocked. Enzo Maresca has decided there is no place for the explosive wide man in his plans, leaving the 25-year-old effectively frozen out at Stamford Bridge just as he becomes eligible again.

Tottenham have stepped into that gap.

Spurs have agreed an initial loan with an option to buy set at around £75 million. The deal includes a loan fee, and Tottenham will cover the player’s wages. Mudryk completed his medical on Tuesday morning, clearing a major hurdle before the expected announcement later in the day.

Romano was unequivocal on the podcast: “Yes, Mykhailo Mudryk will be a Tottenham player, he will sign his contract at Tottenham in the next two hours. Loan deal with an option to buy clause at £75million. He did his medical in the morning, so everything okay.”

A chaotic search for a left-sided threat

This is not the move Spurs spent the summer building towards.

The club have been hunting a left-sided attacker for months. New signing Savinho can operate there, but with Ange Postecoglou short of options on the opposite flank, the Brazilian is expected to spend most of his time on the right.

Cody Gakpo was the original priority. Tottenham pushed for the Liverpool forward, only for the Anfield club to decide to keep the Dutchman. The plan then veered towards Iliman Ndiaye, with a complex proposal that would have seen the Senegal international arrive and Richarlison return to Everton.

That idea collapsed. No agreement was reached between Richarlison and Everton on personal terms, and the entire structure of the deal fell apart.

The pressure finally told. On Monday evening, almost out of nowhere, Mudryk’s name surged to the top of Tottenham’s list. By Tuesday, the move was racing towards completion.

Romano described it as “a big change of plans” after the Gakpo and Ndiaye pursuits, adding that complications in those talks pushed Spurs towards what he called “the easiest option in Mykhailo Mudryk.”

Easy on paper, perhaps. Far less straightforward on the pitch.

A £75m question for Spurs

The option to buy at £75 million underlines the scale of the gamble. Tottenham are backing themselves to revive a winger whose last competitive appearance came in 2024 and whose Chelsea spell never truly caught fire.

For Mudryk, it is a fresh start and a rare lifeline at the top level. For Postecoglou, it is a high-ceiling solution to a problem position, wrapped in risk and rust.

There is a chance the story moves quickly. If the paperwork is completed in time and fitness checks remain positive, Mudryk could make his Spurs debut away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Given his long absence, though, Tottenham are expected to manage his minutes carefully rather than throw him straight into the intensity of a full Premier League start.

Still, the direction of travel is clear. A player Chelsea no longer have room for is about to become a central piece in Tottenham’s attacking rebuild, with a £75 million decision looming over the months ahead.