Tottenham Hotspur made an unexpected move on transfer deadline day by signing Mykhailo Mudryk from Chelsea on a season-long loan.Spurs have been in the market for an extra attacker and pivoted to Mudryk after missing out on Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and Iliman Ndiaye of Everton. Gakpo or Ndiaye would have been solid additions to Roberto De Zerbi’s squad but Mudryk has prompted a mixed response from supporters at best, and not just because the move represents a rare piece of business between the two London rivals.There are huge question marks about Mudryk’s ability to contribute on a consistent basis after he missed nearly two years of action due to a doping ban. The Ukraine international’s last competitive appearance was a Europa Conference League match against Heidenheim in November 2024.Even before the suspension, Mudryk was struggling to justify Chelsea spending €70m (about £62m at the time), with an extra €30m in potential add-ons, to sign him from Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of long-term suitors Arsenal in January 2023.De Zerbi worked with Mudryk at Shakhtar and once claimed he could be a “future winner” of the Ballon d’Or. That may well be fanciful, but if De Zerbi can help restore the 25-year-old’s confidence and fitness, it could turn out to be a smart signing.Here, The Athletic breaks down how Mudryk has ended up switching Chelsea for Spurs and what has happened to him in the 21 months since he last played a competitive match.Why was Mudryk banned?Having played for Chelsea against Manchester United and Arsenal in November 2024, before starting Ukraine’s Nations League matches against Georgia and Albania that same month, Mudryk was left out of Chelsea’s squad for their Premier League matches against Southampton, Spurs and Brentford that December.Chelsea’s head coach at the time Enzo Maresca blamed illness for the Ukrainian’s absence, however it later transpired that on December 4, the same day as that match against Southampton, the Football Association had provisionally suspended Mudryk after an anti-doping test in October had shown a low amount of meldonium in his system. Mudryk’s ban became public knowledge a couple of weeks later, and he was formally charged in May 2025 with breaching Regulations 3 and 4 of the FA’s anti-doping rules.Mudryk last played for Chelsea in the Conference League in November 2024 (Daniel Kopatsch)Meldonium is used to treat heart disease but it can help athletes recover from exercise and improve endurance. The drug was added to the World Anti Doping Authority’s (WADA) monitoring program in 2015 and became a prohibited substance the following year. One of the first athletes to be banned for taking meldonium was tennis superstar Maria Sharapova. Sharapova received a two-year ban, which was reduced to 15 months, after a positive test at the 2016 Australian Open.In a statement on his Instagram account when he was first banned, Mudryk insisted he had “never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules”.When did he return from suspension?An independent hearing took place over three days in January 2026. Mudryk was found to have committed the anti-doping offences and was given the maximum penalty of a four-year ban. On February 25, he lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).In July, the FA and WADA reached an agreement which allowed Mudryk to return to play immediately. The FA released a statement saying that Mudryk had accepted he had committed an anti-doping rule violation and the period of ineligibility, after a low concentration of meldonium was found during an out-of-competition test.WADA have made changes to their rules around meldonium. The concentration of meldonium in Mudryk’s sample would have not have been reported as a positive test today or resulted in a violation. This is one of the key reasons why Mudryk’s case was resolved.After this announcement, Mudryk flew out to join Chelsea on their pre-season tour but was too late to feature in a friendly against Spurs in Australia. De Zerbi was asked in a press conference about Mudryk’s return.“I am very happy, he deserves to play,” De Zerbi said. “He is a top guy, good player. I hope he can show what he suffered in the last two years in this next season. Maybe not against Tottenham but he is a lovely guy and a very, very good player.”Nobody anticipated that he would be signing for Spurs 31 days later.Mudryk during Chelsea’s pre-season friendly against Juventus in Hong Kong (Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Getty Images)So why have Spurs signed Mudryk?Spurs are short of attacking options despite signing Omar Marmoush and Savio from Manchester City last month. Mohammed Kudus has only just returned from a hamstring injury he suffered in January and needs to be managed carefully. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are both recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and will miss at least the first couple of months of the season. Dejan Kulusevski has returned to full first-team training after spending 477 days on the sidelines with a patella (kneecap) injury which required two operations. There is excitement about the return of Kulusevski but expectations need to be managed given how long he has been on the sidelinesThe irony is that Mudryk hasn’t played for even longer, although he has been back in full training since early in pre-season.Mudryk gives De Zerbi an alternative to Mathys Tel on the left wing, and possesses the kind of explosive speed that could help Spurs offer a greater threat on the counter, but clearly the signing does not possess the same wow factor as Ndiaye or Gakpo would have done.Gakpo was inconsistent last season but scored 10 times in the 2024-25 campaign as Liverpool won the league. Ndiaye has excelled for Everton and Senegal, scoring 17 goals across two full seasons with Everton. Mudryk only managed 10 goals in 73 appearances for Chelsea. It will take a lot of work for him to recover the sharpness that comes from playing regularly and to fulfill his potential.Spurs do not have a great record with loan signings over the last few years which will make fans even more nervous about this deal. Although Joao Palhinha scored some crucial goals last season, including the winner against Everton on the final day which secured their top-flight status, Randal Kolo Muani only scored once in 30 top-flight appearances and largely frustrated. Arnaut Danjuma and Clement Lenglet struggled to make an impression during the 2022-23 season under then head coach Antonio Conte, while Timo Werner only showed flashes of his old self across two loan spells.Mudryk was unable to train with his Chelsea team-mates during his ban but kept himself in good shape by doing individual sessions at Uxbridge FC’s Honeycroft Stadium to maintain fitness. He will need patience though to get back up to speed with the intensity of the Premier League. It is a risky move from Spurs, but reuniting with De Zerbi could just be what Mudryk needs to get back on track.