Just like a baby protected in his cradle, Chelsea has shown a great commitment to ensuring that Mykhailo Mudryk not only adapts to the demands of English football but also flourishes in it in the long term.

The Ukrainian has struggled to fully express himself since securing a big-money move to Stamford Bridge in the winter window of 2023, but the club is not swaying in their efforts to see him rediscover the form that made them sign him almost two years ago.

The expectations at the time of his signature had run dry. With players like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Jadon Sancho making the attack ferocious again, it is very difficult to swallow that Chelsea houses a player of almost €100 million in Mykaylo Mudryk.

The former Desna winger has not been helped by the frequent changes in management at the club. In less than two years at Chelsea, he has been handled by four different managers, while the players around him have also been altered, making it even difficult for him to settle down.

Despite his struggles, the 23-year-old continues to show flashes of his brilliance, and such rare displays are enough to convince Chelsea that he could yet relive the good old days and fulfill the vision the club has for him in the long term.

Mykaylo Mudryk granted the conditions to succeed at Chelsea

Some Top Performances by Mykaylo Mudryk at Chelsea 

Mykaylo Mudryk's time at Chelsea has not been the best, but on rare occasions, he does deliver the goods, whether in the colours of the West Londoners or the yellow and blue of his country, Ukraine.

In his Shakhtar days, Mudryk was very famous for his explosive pace, which enables him to exploit wide areas. He was an excellent dribbler who was never afraid to take on his man, while also creating a ton of chances for teammates, as well as being an excellent finisher of chances.

In his final four months at the club, Mudryk scored ten goals and assisted nine in 18 games across all competitions. He was one of the stars of the UEFA Champions League group stages in the 2022-23 campaign, amassing three goals and two assists in six outings.

Mudryk, at 36.6 KM/H was also the fastest player in the Champions League that season. These and more made his signing a thug of war between Chelsea and Arsenal. Eventually, the Blues beat their neighbour to the chase and land the winger.

Top Five Mykaylo Mudryk's Best Chelsea Performances

1. Impressive debut at Anfield 

Exactly what Chelsea paid for is exhibited at Anfield. A 22-year-old Mudryk only needed 35 minutes on his debut away at Liverpool to fuel the jealousy of Arsenal for losing out to Chelsea in the transfer tussle.

Mudryk was lively and yet unstoppable. Took apart the Liverpool defence with his delicate touches in tight areas. You'd bet James Milner is still having a nightmare of the day.

The performance also came at a time when Chelsea was experiencing a tough time, and he served as a hope for a brighter future, one that appears to be getting closer, while the man himself is drifting out of the picture.

As Chelsea return to Anfield this weekend, the hope will be that Mudryk again rediscover his form in their colours, he he does with the Ukrainian national team.

2. Carried the name Chelsea in the face of Arsenal

Apparently, all was going well for Arsenal in the league when they traveled to the Stamford Bridge last season. Though Chelsea were starting to build momentum of their own after a couple of wins, they stood no equal to a rejuvenated Arsenal.

Mykaylo Mudryk was handed a start by Mauricio Pochettino, and he did not disappoint. Mudryk won the penalty for the opening goal and scored a sensational effort at the start of the second half to double the advantage.

Unfortunately, Arsenal staged a comeback from 2-0 down to draw the game after Mudryk was withdrawn after the hour mark. But in his 66 minutes on the pitch, he didn't fail to rub in it the face of Mikel Arteta what he could have had.

3. First Chelsea goal in Craven Cottage 

Chelsea travel to Fulham as their third league away game in 2023-24 without a win in their first two. They've also won just once in six league games, and pressure was high on Pochettino. The Argentine decided to tweak things a little bit, and he gave a third straight league start.

The decision paid great dividends as Mudryk scored his first-ever Chelsea goal after 18 minutes to set them on their way to a 2-0 win, a well as their first away win of the season. Albeit he only played 45 minutes, it was worth the spectacle.

4. Striking the Eagles at the Bridge

Mudryk was impressed when Chelsea played host to Crystal Palace in their penultimate game of 2023. The Ukrainian opened the scoring earlier in the game and looked dangerous throughout his 77 minutes in the pitch.

He created a huge chance earlier in the game, which Ian Maatsen failed to put away.

5. Unsung hero in the Burnley draw

Arguably his best performance for Chelsea. Even though Mudryk neither scored nor assisted in the game, he was one of the most influential, and thus Pochettino was tempted to leave him on the pitch for the entirety of the contest.

Mudryk won the penalty for the opening goal, and won the foul that led to Lorenz Assignon's dismissal, leaving Burnley with 10 men for more than 50 minutes of the match. Too bad Chelsea couldn't take advantage, as it finished all square.

The former Shakhtar man also created a big chance, which was unfortunately missed by Nicolas Jackson. He completed six dribbles, won ten duels, and created four chances. That is a dream performance for any winger. That is also Mudryk's highest-rated performance in a Chelsea shirt.

These are some of the highlights of Mykaylo Mudryk's Chelsea career so far, and even though they are not the ones the club would have hoped for when negotiating with Shakhtar, the fact that they can still hope he'll eventually get it right may be worth a consolation. 

Mudryk made his 50th Premier League appearance as a final-minute substitute in the 1 1 draw with Nottingham Forest before the international break and was very bright, creating a big chance that could have won Chelsea the game. Christopher Nkunku, this time, could not make the most of it.

Another consolation for Chelsea is that they will surely not have to pay the €30 million add-ons in the Mudryk deal to Shakhtar Donetsk given how underwhelming he has been. Meaning they did not spend up to €100 million on signing him after all.

Mykaylo Mudryk granted the conditions to succeed at Chelsea

Chelsea, though, still concerned about their investment and the talent of Mykaylo Mudryk, appears ready to do whatever it takes to finally get the winger performing consistently at the top of his game.

In the summer transfer window, two clubs, one from Germany and the other from Italy, approached the club to sign Mykaylo Mudryk on a season-long loan. However, the club turned down all advances, stating Mudryk is part of the plan.

Mykaylo Mudryk has appeared in eight of the club's eleven games this season, while his performances are starting to improve under the watch of Enzo Maresca.

Sources close to the club have stated that the manager has been pushing him to get better since his arrival at the club. At the same time, Maresca has been brutal in his assessment. In the wake of a disappointing outing in the 2-0 win over Servette in the Conference League in August, he withdrew Mudryk at half-time, and was not shy to call him out at full time.

"Misha, this is Mudryk, not only tonight. Since he joined the club, he had some good moments and some bad moments. If he becomes more consistent, he can take one step forward.

We are going to try and help him change. He needs to understand that we will give him the ball in the final third and he has to make the right decision. A lot of mistakes from Misha is about the choice. Hopefully we can help him and he can improve that." Said the former Leicester City boss.

It would appear those words worked magic as Mudryk's performances have improved substantially.

With the signing of Jadon Sancho on a temporary deal from Manchester United, it takes the pressure off Mudryk and allows him the needed time to grow in his game, while also improving the surroundings he plays.

Whether or not Chelsea decides to permanently sign Sancho, it would only on the long run as a healthy competition for Mudryk, a good one for the club to have.

Overall, Chelsea is becoming a better team, and it looks like the club will have stability under Enzo Maresca, which is what a player like Mudryk really needs.

Like his three goals and two assists for the national team, which have come in the last 12 months, Mudryk can also replicate the good performances at Chelsea consistently, with the support and trust he gets from the club.

Time is all it takes, and it's good to know Chelsea is not giving up on him. Mudryk will be back in action on Tuesday when Ukraine takes on the Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League.