Mykhailo Mudryk has played a competitive match for Chelsea since November 2024, when he scored in a 2-0 away win over Heidenheim in the Conference League.
Mykhailo Mudryk arrives at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea clash(Image: Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)
Xabi Alonso has provided an update on Mykhailo Mudryk following Chelsea’s pre-season friendly defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. On Friday night, the Football Association confirmed that disciplinary proceedings against the 25-year-old winger have been resolved.
Mudryk was provisionally suspended in December 2024 after testing positive for a banned substance called meldonium, which was administered abroad while away on international duty. The Ukrainian was officially charged by the FA with anti-doping violations in June 2025 before filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2026.
In May of this year, the independent body confirmed that ‘written submissions’ had been exchanged and that a hearing was scheduled. The four-year ban has now been lifted, and Mudryk, who hasn’t played a competitive match for the Blues since November 2024, is now available for selection again.
Speaking to reporters at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Alonso provided an update on the situation. The Chelsea manager said: “We are happy for him, especially for him.
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“Probably, we are not able to understand what we’ve been through in these moments. We want him to be a part of the team. He has the support of everyone.”
Alonso continued: “It will take time, but once things have changed, things will start moving. He wants to play football and be part of the team; it must have been really hard for him.
“I watched him at Shakhtar, the impact he had, how good he is in one-v-one situations. He can create a lot of situations on his own. He’s a special player. But it will take time, for sure.”
The Blues boss added: “It’s massive. To go through what he has done, to go through what he has gone through, it must have been really hard.”
football.london understands that an important factor in the decision to lift the ban was the change to scientific reporting standards by the World Anti-Doping Agency. In an official statement, the FA confirmed that had Mudryk’s sample been analysed under the current technical standards, he would not have been handed a suspension, nor would any anti-doping rule violations have been recorded.
Throughout the process, which spanned almost two years, Mudryk always insisted that he was not aware of taking an illegal substance. Insiders at Stamford Bridge say they have supported the Ukrainian, who signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial £62m, plus a further £27m in bonuses, in January 2023.
football.london understands that the player is now set to fly to Hong Kong to join the Chelsea squad ahead of Wednesday’s pre-season friendly against Juventus. Following the 2-1 defeat to Spurs on Saturday, Alonso confirmed that Mike Penders will also enter the fray.
With Robert Sanchez nursing a minor injury, which meant he was unable to face Tottenham, the incoming Blues youngster will hope he can stake a claim for a regular place between the sticks this season.
