De Zerbi's Bold Ballon d'Or Prediction for Mudryk at Spurs
Roberto De Zerbi is not backing away. Not from his words, and certainly not from Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Italian coach has stood firm on his eye-catching prediction that Mudryk has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or, even as the winger arrives at Tottenham with his reputation bruised and his career at a crossroads.
The pair are together again after deadline day delivered one of the window’s most intriguing moves: Mudryk joining Spurs on a season-long loan from Chelsea, with an option to buy for £75 million next summer if he convinces. It is a high-stakes bet for Tottenham — and a lifeline for a player once billed as Europe’s next great wide forward.
Back under familiar guidance
For Mudryk, this is not just a change of shirt. It is a return to the coach who first unlocked his potential at Shakhtar Donetsk, where the Ukrainian exploded onto the European scene as a fearless, electric winger.
De Zerbi’s belief in him dates back to those days in Ukraine. He famously tipped Mudryk for the Ballon d'Or while in charge of Brighton, just before Chelsea swooped in January 2023 with a deal worth around €100 million. That fee quickly became a burden. The performances never matched the price tag, and the narrative turned harsh.
Yet De Zerbi’s conviction has not shifted.
"We spent a very particular season together in Shakhtar," he said, speaking to ESPN. "When the war started, we were together. And when I spoke about the Ballon d'Or, I was very clear. Maybe my English is not so good, but I was very clear because I was speaking about the potential of the player. The potential of the player can be the same and can respect the prediction or not."
The message is simple: the ceiling has not changed, even if the path has.
A career stalled, a challenge reset
Since that blockbuster move to Stamford Bridge in January 2023, Mudryk has struggled to justify Chelsea’s investment. Flickers of talent, yes. Sustained impact, no. His development stalled further with a lengthy absence from top-level football following a suspension, another obstacle in a career that has already had to navigate war, upheaval and expectation.
"Until now, he has had many problems," De Zerbi admitted. "The last problem, the suspension for whatever was the problem, but the [outcome] is clear. And now his challenge is to respect all his qualities because he's a great player."
That word — challenge — now defines his season.
"He has to leave this season in a right way, not too [much] pressure, but it is the right moment for him to show [his ability] because if Chelsea paid €100m four years ago. I think they brought a lot of big, big players and to spend €100m, I think they thought very well about the qualities of Mudryk."
Chelsea’s outlay still hangs over him, but at Spurs the context is different. He arrives not as a marquee saviour, but as a reclamation project under a coach who knows exactly what he can be.
Fitness first, flashes to come
The immediate task is not awards or redemption arcs. It is minutes. Mudryk has been short of competitive action, and De Zerbi was honest about the timeline: no one yet knows when he will be ready to start a Premier League game.
What he can offer, though, is a glimpse.
De Zerbi confirmed that Mudryk is ready to feature for between 15 and 30 minutes in Saturday’s clash with Nottingham Forest. For Tottenham supporters, that might be enough for a first look at the raw pace, the direct running, the one-on-one threat they have read about more than they have seen.
If the Ukrainian rediscovers his best form under the man who once built a team around his talent, Spurs’ £75m option suddenly looks less like a gamble and more like an opportunity.
For now, the mission is stripped back to its basics: get him fit, get him confident, get him going again. The Ballon d'Or talk can wait. The real question is whether this season in north London finally ignites the career Chelsea thought they were buying.
