"Had Misha's sample been analysed under today's technical requirements, it would not have been reported as a positive test." That line from Chelsea's official statement tells you everything you need to know about how this saga ends — not with vindication exactly, but with something close to it.
On July 30th 2026, the FA confirmed that Mykhailo Mudryk's doping ban — handed down in December 2024 — has been lifted following an agreement with WADA. Changes to the agency's own guidelines effectively made the original positive test obsolete. Mudryk accepted that anti-doping rule violations occurred, but he's free to play again with immediate effect. Nearly two years on the sidelines, over.
What he's walking back into
The Chelsea he left is gone. Enzo Maresca departed in January. Liam Rosenior's stint as head coach was short and painful. Xabi Alonso is now the man in the dugout, overseeing a squad that has been heavily reshaped this summer. For a 25-year-old winger who hasn't kicked a competitive ball since late November 2024, reading the room at Stamford Bridge will take some time.
Before the ban, Mudryk was starting to find his feet. His 2023/24 campaign — five goals, two assists — was his best in a Chelsea shirt since arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023. Not world-beating numbers, but signs of a player settling in. Then seven games into 2024/25, it all stopped.
The question now is whether Alonso sees him as a genuine option or a squad filler. Chelsea have spent heavily this summer on new faces, and Mudryk will be competing for minutes in a system that doesn't yet know what it is. His odds of starting regularly from the off are slim — match fitness alone will take weeks to rebuild after a gap this long.
The FA's statement was measured: "The anti-doping disciplinary proceedings against Mykhailo Mudryk were resolved with the agreement of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on 30 July 2026." Chelsea's was warmer, making clear they stood by him throughout. Whatever the politics behind the scenes, Mudryk now has his career back. Whether he can recapture the form that made Chelsea spend big on him in the first place is a different question entirely.
