The news that Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a drugs test poses a problem for Chelsea.
The club has been informed by the Football Association that traces of an illegal substance have been detected in his urine and whilst player and club deny suggestions that he has done anything wrong, precedent indicates that he could be facing a lengthy ban.
Protocol normally dictates that an athlete is responsible for what goes into their body.
And that also means that Mudryk can look forward to a lengthy ban which would end any hopes that Chelsea have of sending him on loan in January, or even selling him outright.
It is the latest chapter in Mudryk’s inglorious career at Chelsea, which began with such high hopes when they snatched him from under the nose of Arsenal in the January 2023 transfer window, but which has since become a damp squib, as he has been unable to adapt to the Premier League.
