Mykhailo Mudryk was one of Tottenham’s final signings in the summer of 2026, joining on loan from Chelsea, reuniting with his former head coach, Roberto De Zerbi.Mudryk’s move to Spurs marks a big moment for him, returning to competitive action after a lengthy suspension, representing something of a career restart.After being tipped for big things, Mudryk’s move to Tottenham is his chance to become the player everyone thought he could be and restore his reputation after 20 months on the sidelines.So here’s everything you need to know about Mykhailo Mudryk, from his backstory through to the reasons behind his suspension and his connection with De Zerbi.Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesWhy Tottenham signed Mykhailo MudrykIt’s hard to say if Mudryk was Plan A for Tottenham as the clock ticked down in the summer transfer window. Cody Gakpo was one name they were in the hunt for; there was talk of a deal with Everton for Iliman Ndiaye, only for Manchester City to swoop in and sign the Senegalese for themselves.Enter, Mudryk. Spurs secured the Ukrainian on deadline day, with an initial loan deal agreed with Chelsea that could turn into a permanent switch for £75 million down the line. Whether that comes to pass remains to be seen, but Roberto De Zerbi has as good a chance as any at helping Mudryk rediscover his best form after his time out suspended.“Having worked with Misha earlier in his career, I know exactly what he can bring to our team,” said the Italian. “He has the quality to change a game with his speed and ability in one-vs-one situations, and is an exciting, attacking talent.”De Zerbi was alluding to his own time in Ukraine at Shakhtar Donetsk, where he gave Mudryk a break in the first-team. He previously tipped the winger to win the Ballon d’Or in the future, showing just how highly he rates him.That was an important chapter in his story. Now, reunited with De Zerbi, the pair will hope to put together another positive chapter – with there no doubting Tottenham need attacking reinforcements, and it evidence Mudryk himself needs a fresh break after all that he’s been through. So, let’s dive deep into his backstory and his road to N17.Who is Mykhalio Mudryk?Mykhalio Mudryk was born on 5 January 2001 and grew up in Krasnohrad, playing football with friends on the street and, aged nine, joined the youth set-up at Metalist Khrakiv. After four years, he moved to Dnipro where very quickly caught the attention of Shakhtar Donetsk. Over the next few years, Mykhailo Mudryk moved fast. In 2018, he helped Shakhtar’s U17 side win the Ukrainian Championship, while stepping up into the U19 and U21 teams in that time too. His potential was obvious and he soon made history, becoming the first Shakhtar player born in the new millennium to represent the first team aged just 17.But things were hardly straightforward from there, with loan spells to Arsenal Kyiv and Desna Chernihiv following, as he struggled to really establish himself in Shakhtar’s first team. But everything changed when a new Italian head coach took the helm.How is Mykhalio Mudryk connected to Roberto De Zerbi?In 2021, De Zerbi joined Shakhtar and found a Mudryk whose development had stalled somewhat. The young winger was surprised when he got a phone call from the Italian on his very first day.“To be honest, I almost didn’t believe my ears when he called,” he reflected. “He immediately told me that he was aware of the way I play, and he would make me unlock my potential.”He really meant it, too. De Zerbi said he would have regarded it as “my personal defeat” if he had proven unable to bring Mudryk to a new level. And so it proved, with De Zerbi encouraging Mudryk to attack defenders, take responsibility and play with freedom, rather than fear. Even though their time together was short, the impact was obvious. Mudryk won Shakhtar’s Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, when he was also named as Ukraine’s Footballer of the Year. Even though De Zerbi had left Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, he’d set Mudryk on the path to bigger and better things. Such is their connection they even refer to one another as father and son. De Zerbi, when asked about his return to football in pre-season, simply said, “He’s my son. I’m very happy.” Mudryk, when later sealing a move to Spurs, called the Italian “my football father”.A world turned upside downUnder De Zerbi, Mykhailo Mudryk began to deliver on his potential, scoring twice and registering nine assists as Shakhtar put themselves in pole position to win the league – only for it to end up being cancelled after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Even though De Zerbi departed, Mudryk fared even better the following season, scoring 10 goals for Shakhtar and registering eight assists, leading to a January move to Chelsea for a fee of £62 million, potentially rising to almost £90 million in add-ons. It marked the largest fee received by both Shakhtar and for a player in the Ukrainian Premier League.But things really didn’t go to plan. Joining during a turbulent period, which isn’t hard at Chelsea, he was part of a team struggling for consistency under Graham Potter. He did show flashes but away from home for the first time, in a new league, with a new football culture to adapt to, it was always going to be a challenging period.He still made an impression on his teammates. Wesley Fofana called him the fastest player he’d ever come up against, while Ben Chilwell stressed there was “endless bags of potential” that Mudryk had yet to fulfil. “He can be such a good player. It’s just trying to guide him.”Come the 2023/24 season, Mudryk scored his first goal for Chelsea against Fulham but found consistency hard to come by. His first full season in England brought seven goals across 41 matches and four assists. Opportunities were hard to come by in 2024/25, with Mudryk mostly coming off the bench in the Premier League, before his world was turned upside down in December 2024.Why was Mykhalio Mudryk banned from football?In December 2024, it was reported that Mudryk had been suspended after he’d failed a drugs test. Reportedly, his A sample had contained the performance-enhancing substance, meldonium. While only a low amount, Mudryk was formally charged in May 2025 with breaking anti-doping rules.When initially banned, Mudryk insisted that he had never knowingly used any banned substances, nor broken any rules. However, the independent panel he appeared before in January of this year saw things differently and handed him the maximum penalty of a four-year ban.Mudryk appealed through the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February and come July, had reached an agreement with the FA and WADA. That allowed him to return to action immediately, with an FA statement stating the winger had accepted he’d committed an offence and the period of ineligibility. In the years since he was banned, WADA did change rules around meldonium, meaning the concentration in his sample would not have been reported as a positive test and led to a violation. That was a key development in him being able to return to football.Tattoos that tell a storyMudryk is adorned with various tattoos, including a very prominent one on his neck that reads ‘Only Jesus’ as well as another on his chest that says, ‘Dear God, if today I lose my hope, please remind me that your plans are better than my dreams’.He’s explained how faith is one of the most important things in his life and that stems from his family, especially his grandmother. When Mudryk was younger, he was afraid of the dark and found he imagined demons and other scary things when closing his eyes. Mudryk’s grandmother told him to pray and sign the cross before he drifted off to sleep, ensuring that he’d be protected from all evil.She even gave him a picture of ‘Guardian angel Michael’ which she had embroidered herself. Mudryk’s Personal LifeDuring his time away from football, Mudryk met American actress, dancer, singer, model and digital creator, Jordyn Jones. You can find Mykhalio Mudryk on Instagram at @mmudryk10, where he has 2.1 million followers, whereas his better half eclipses him with 9 million.Jones said that he kept messaging her, inviting her to go with him to Disneyland Paris, so she blocked him in one Instagram story she shared. That was immediately followed by a picture Mudryk himself had posted to his story of her at the entrance to Disneyland Paris. “Fast forward 6 months… I’m glad I unblocked you,” she wrote.The pair appear together regularly on social media now and continue interacting with one another, suggesting they’re still going strong.The post Who is Mykhailo Mudryk? Everything you need to know about De Zerbi’s ‘son’ at Tottenham appeared first on Spurs Web.