Mykhailo Mudryk joined Chelsea in an £88.5m deal from Shakhtar Donetsk in January (Shutterstock)
Chelsea’s players were ‘taken aback’ by Todd Boehly’s decision to introduce Mykhailo Mudryk and his entourage inside the dressing room before a Premier League game this season, according to reports.
Chelsea beat Arsenal to sign Mudryk in an £88.5 million deal from Shakhtar Donetsk in the January transfer window.
The Ukraine international was officially unveiled at Stamford Bridge during the half-time break in Chelsea’s match against Crystal Palace on January 15.
But according to MailOnline, some of Chelsea’s players and staff were left surprised by Boehly’s decision to interrupt preparations before the game by allowing Mudryk and the winger’s advisors to enter the changing room at Stamford Bridge.
The report also claims that there is ‘growing discontent’ among the Chelsea squad, with many players considering their futures ahead of the summer transfer window.
Some of Chelsea’s players are also facing a significant wage reduction as a result of there being no Champions League football next season.
Mykhailo Mudryk and his entourage were allow into Chelsea’s dressing room before their match against Crystal Palace (PA)
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard stressed after Chelsea’s Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid on Tuesday evening that some members of his squad still need time to adjust to English football.
‘There are some players that are maybe quite new here, getting used to the club and that maybe isn’t easy,’ Lampard said.
‘Some of the greatest players in the Premier League, when they first arrive they need sometimes need some time and sometimes they arrive and they’re put in and they find their feet and you see them flying. So maybe there’s a reason with some of our players where they need transitioning but in terms of motivation, you’re playing for Chelsea.
‘There’s individual motivations throughout the squad and there’s a collective. And for me, you have to be competitive with everything we do every day and to get into the team you have to show it.
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‘The team today is what I felt was the most form team individually, the fittest team in terms of what this game was going to ask of us and they showed it. They showed they can compete with Real Madrid, for sure, except from the final-third stuff.
‘So I think it’s important to take each step. Each step for me and the players now is a day off tomorrow and back to work on Thursday and get working towards Brentford.
‘People will make a lot about this season for Chelsea because we’ve had so much success and the reality is this club is going to be back. It will take work and a bit of a process.
‘I think the fans appreciated this performance today. Maybe there have been times this season where they haven’t been feeling like that. So we have to latch on to that and pick up good results for the rest of the season and good performances for the rest of the season and then go again next year.’
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