De Zerbi Stands Firm on Ballon d'Or Prediction for Mudryk

Roberto De Zerbi is not backing away from his most daring prediction. Not now, not after everything that has happened to Mykhailo Mudryk in England.

The Italian has again insisted the Ukrainian winger still has the potential to win the Ballon d'Or, as the pair link up once more following Mudryk’s shock deadline-day move to Tottenham.

From €100m Chelsea gamble to Spurs lifeline

Mudryk has arrived at Spurs on a season-long loan from Chelsea, a move that stunned London on the final day of the window. Tottenham have secured an option to buy for £75 million next summer if the 25-year-old finally catches fire in the Premier League.

It is a fresh start and a familiar face.

De Zerbi and Mudryk first built their connection at Shakhtar Donetsk, where the winger exploded onto the European scene as one of the continent’s most thrilling young attackers. That period shaped De Zerbi’s belief in him – and it has not shifted, even after a turbulent spell at Stamford Bridge.

The coach first floated the Ballon d'Or prediction during his time at Brighton, just before Mudryk sealed his blockbuster transfer to Chelsea in January 2023. Since then, the winger has struggled badly to justify the €100m fee, drifting on the fringes, his development interrupted and his confidence clearly shaken.

De Zerbi, though, is not rewriting history.

"We spent a very particular season together in Shakhtar," he said, quoted by 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."

A career stalled – and a challenge laid down

Mudryk’s time in England has been bumpy. Flashes of pace and skill, but little end product. Long stretches without rhythm. And then came his latest setback: a suspension that kept him away from elite football and stalled his progress again.

"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 – hangs over this move.

De Zerbi knows exactly what Chelsea saw when they pushed the boat out.

"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."

The message is blunt: the talent is not in question. The time to show it is now.

Spurs’ cautious plan – and an early glimpse

For Tottenham, the first step is simple: get Mudryk back on the pitch and build his fitness. The explosive acceleration and direct running that once terrified defenders will not return overnight after so many stop-start months.

De Zerbi was honest about where his new signing stands physically. He does not yet know when Mudryk will be ready to start a Premier League game. The idea of him immediately walking into the XI is off the table.

But there is a carrot for Spurs fans. The coach confirmed Mudryk is in line for a short debut against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with a 15 to 30-minute cameo on the cards.

It might be brief. It might be rusty. It might also be the first hint of whether this reunion can truly reignite a career that has drifted dangerously close to the edge.

If the old Shakhtar version of Mudryk resurfaces under the man who first unlocked him, Tottenham’s £75m option could quickly shift from possibility to inevitability.

For now, though, the Ballon d'Or talk, the transfer fees, the hype – all of it sits in the background. The real story starts with something far more basic: a winger, a coach who still believes, and a season that may decide what Mudryk becomes.