Paul Merson is convinced Graham Potter did not sanction Chelsea’s sensational January move for Mykhailo Mudryk.
Chelsea spent almost £90m to sign Ukraine forward Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk during the January transfer window.
Premier League leaders and London rivals Arsenal appeared to be closing in on a deal for the 22-year-old but Chelsea hijacked the deal, bringing Mudryk to Stamford Bridge on an eight-and-a-half-year deal.
Mudryk impressed on his Premier League debut in a second-half cameo against Liverpool but has been used sparingly since and was benched for Sunday’s Premier League defeat to Tottenham.
Arsenal hero Merson believes Potter’s limited use of Mudryk at a time when the team are struggling for goals proves the former Brighton boss had little say on his move to west London.
Chelsea have scored just 23 goals in 24 Premier League games this season, with Sunday’s defeat leaving the Blues 14 points outside the Champions League places with 14 games to go.
‘At Tottenham, Chelsea did not look like scoring a goal in a year of Sundays,’ Merson told Sky Sports.
‘Mykhailo Mudryk is an £88m signing sitting on the bench, it tells you he’s not Potter’s player.
‘If he was his player and if Potter would have gone to the board and said he needed Mudryk, he would have to play him.’
Merson says Chelsea’s recent record – they have only won two of their last 16 games – is ‘extraordinary’, but says the club’s owners should stick by Potter for the time being.
He added: ‘When Chelsea lost 1-0 at Dortmund, I thought they would definitely beat them in the second leg. Since then, I do not see how they will score two goals in a match.
‘They never looked like scoring at Spurs. I could have played for Chelsea on Sunday when they had the ball because it was so slow – and I’m 54!
‘I can’t run around anymore but I can pass the ball, and I could have played in the team. It was slow, sideways, backwards, I can play like that at my age.
‘Chelsea’s biggest game is Tottenham and it was lacklustre. They could still be playing now and they would not have scored. I cannot remember getting excited once in the game by them.
‘Chelsea beat Tottenham four out of four times last season, twice in the cups, twice in the league and that was when they had Heung-Min Son playing on fire. Now he’s coming off the bench and they still cannot get a result.
‘I like Graham Potter, they should give him a chance, but one goal in six games, one win in 11, two wins in 16. That is absolutely a no-go. It’s extraordinary.
‘It’s the worst I have seen at Chelsea in over 20 years.’
MORE : N’Golo Kante set to sign new three-year deal at Chelsea despite injury woes
MORE : Chelsea board make Graham Potter decision ahead of crunch fixtures
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