Mykhailo Mudryk is available for selection again after the Football Association resolved his anti-doping disciplinary proceedings, and Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso says the club want the winger back in the team.
The FA confirmed on Friday that the proceedings against the Ukraine international had been resolved in agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Mudryk, 25, had been provisionally suspended since December 2024 after testing positive for the prohibited substance meldonium, and is now free to return to competition with immediate effect.
Mudryk was charged by the FA with anti-doping violations in June 2025 before appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2026. In May, the independent body confirmed written submissions had been exchanged and a hearing scheduled. His four-year ban has now been overturned, with Mudryk having not featured for Chelsea since November 2024.
Alonso: 'He has the support of everyone'
Speaking to journalists at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Alonso said: "We are happy for him, especially for him. Probably, we are not able to understand what we've been through in these moments. We want him to be a part of the team. He has the support of everyone."
Alonso added: "It will take time, but once things have changed, things will start moving. He wants to play football and be part of the team; it must have been really hard for him. I watched him at Shakhtar (Donetsk), the impact he had, how good he is in one-v-one situations. He can create a lot of situations on his own. He's a special player. But it will take time, for sure."
The Chelsea boss continued: "It's massive. To go through what he has done, to go through what he has gone through, it must have been really hard."
Key role of WADA scientific standards
A crucial element in the decision to overturn the ban was WADA's alteration of scientific reporting standards. The FA stated that had Mudryk's sample been examined under current technical standards, he would not have received a suspension, nor would any anti-doping rule violations have been registered.
Throughout the nearly two-year process, Mudryk consistently maintained he was unaware of taking a prohibited substance. Sources at Stamford Bridge indicate the club backed the Ukrainian, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for an initial £62 million, plus £27 million in bonuses.
The player is now expected to travel to Hong Kong to link up with the Chelsea squad before Wednesday's pre-season friendly against Juventus.
