Chelsea could take Mudryk to court

London's Chelsea already has experience in legal disputes with its own players.

Details: Yesterday, the online newspaper The Athletic reached out to sports lawyer Dan Chapman to comment on possible scenarios for Mykhailo Mudryk. Chapman stated that most likely, a suspension of up to four years should be expected, but that's not the only threat facing Mudryk. Dan noted that Chelsea could well take legal action against Mykhailo and seek compensation:

“This is a very rare occurrence, but it's a possible scenario. Chelsea’s management could argue that they bought the player for £80 million, he breached his contract, and now the player is practically worthless. Few clubs would want to go down this route, because it signals to future signings that if they sign a contract and something goes wrong, they could end up not only in trouble but also liable for additional issues. This generally doesn’t happen, but it could. For now, there are signs that Chelsea is fully backing their player, and who knows if that position is justified,” Chapman said in an interview with The Athletic.

Notably, back in 2004, the “Blues” already faced a similar case when they secured compensation in court from Romanian Adrian Mutu, who was banned for six months due to cocaine use. While the situations are quite different, the club's next steps regarding Mudryk remain unknown for now.

Recall: The Football Association has charged Mudryk with doping use. What consequences does the player face?