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Frank Lampard says he tried to sign the fastest player in the Premier League for Everton
Frank Lampard has suggested that Everton were interested in Mykhaylo Mudryk before the Ukrainian ended up signing for Chelsea at the start of the year.
Lampard was speaking on (broadcast on Sky Sports; 2/10 from 18:30) as the 22-year-old continues to endure a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge.
There unfortunately cannot be any doubt that Mykhaylo Mudryk has not lived up to expectations since moving to Chelsea in January. It was a huge statement – even for the Blues – when they announced that they had signed the winger.
Mudryk is yet to score for Chelsea. And he has only provided two assists in 23 appearances for the club so far.
Frank Lampard says he wanted to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk for Everton
Mudryk must be wondering if he made the right move. Unsurprisingly, Chelsea were not the only team interested in bringing Mudryk to the Premier League.
Frank Lampard managed Mudryk after taking the Blues job on an interim basis late last season. But it turns out that Mudryk was on his radar some time before that as he suggested that Everton had looked at him during his time at Goodison Park.
“Pace is a huge strength and technical ability when he dribbles and his finishing. We used to train a lot and he’s a compulsive finisher, in a positive way, he’s out after training and he wants to shoot. He’s a very good finisher and I know we haven’t seen that but you have to come back and say that this young boy has moved into the Premier League and it’s different,” he told .
“The areas in which I have seen him – at Everton we actually wanted to buy him, it was probably never going to happen – and he moved on to Chelsea, but I have seen a lot of him and when he is wide it is natural you get the ball to his feet but now people are very aware of this from him, the pace, and they will try and stop him. Coming off the line it’s more difficult for him.
“He’s lightning, he can probably outrun anyone in the league, end product – could it be better? Probably, yeah, but that’s typical for a young player.”
Winger may not have been what Toffees needed now
Given that Chelsea spent on Mudryk, it is hardly surprising that Lampard thinks that Everton never really stood a chance.
The Toffees have been paying the price for previous transfer mistakes. Lampard was one of those who probably could not spend the money he wanted during his time at Goodison Park.
And with Mudryk struggling at Chelsea, it is hard to imagine that he would have been able to shine at Everton.
Unfortunately, the Toffees have been in decline for some time. And Mudryk has not been able to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge as he struggles to adapt to his new surroundings. So he may not have been the immediate game-changer Everton are still crying out for.