With 134 caps for Croatia, six appearances at major tournaments and a house glistening with trophies, Shakhtar Donetsk’s sporting director Dario Srna has been around the block. A few times, actually.
He happened to be one of the finest right backs across Europe for over a decade, so fairly well-placed to critique the very best left wingers.
After retiring in 2019, Srna is in a suit these days and believes Shakhtar’s jewel in the crown – the explosive Mykhailo Mudryk, who tore Celtic to shreds in the Champions League – is as good as it gets out wide.
Arsenal have submitted a £57million bid for Shakhtar Donestk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk
‘After Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, he’s the best player in Europe in his position,’ Srna said recently.
It is high praise and, although probably rooted in part to an early negotiation ploy to extract the highest possible fee for a player the Ukrainians will ultimately lose, is also an opinion shared inside Premier League boardrooms. Particularly at Arsenal, who have seen a bid for Mudryk rejected ahead of the January transfer window opening as they look to bolster their attacking armoury for a title charge.
Mudryk is showing an interest in Arsenal and the 21-year-old watched their win vs West Ham
The Gunners are expected to return with an improved offer packed with incentives, while Shakhtar are thought to value Mudryk, who turns 22 next week, at more than £80million – a significant outlay on a raw talent who has only made 66 professional appearances. Where this lands come the end of next month will be fascinating, with the player already admitting that he could not say no to the move. When that card is dealt, there is usually only one outcome.
The rise has happened as fast as one of his darts down the touchline – and some wondered whether it would ever come. As a youngster, there were rumblings of a difficult attitude to manage yet the rapid development under Roberto De Zerbi, before he joined Brighton in mid-September, and then a continuation under his successor has catapulted Mudryk into the inboxes of every single sporting director of clubs in the top five leagues.
Brentford had registered interest last summer but a breath-taking ascent since – 10 goals and eight assists in all competitions, that has seen the asking price double – has garnered the attention of bigger clubs. Although an inverted winger, he can play of either foot and is a bit of a throwback in the way in which his direct running can…