LONDON -- Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi has stood by his past prediction of Mykhailo Mudryk being a player that can win the Ballon d'Or if he can realise his potential.
Mudryk joined Spurs on a season-long loan on deadline day which sources have told ESPN can be made permanent for £75 million ($101m) should the north London club decide to activate their option.
The loan deal reunited De Zerbi with a player he was coaching at Shakhtar Donetsk when the Ukrainian caught the eye of some of Europe's top clubs.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Roberto De Zerbi are reunited at Tottenham. Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images During his time in charge of Brighton, the Italian was asked about Mudryk shortly before he signed for Chelsea in January 2023 in a deal that could still rise to €100m if all add-ons are met. At the time De Zerbi tipped his former player as a future Ballon d'Or winner, but Mudryk has struggled to live up to the billing during his time in England.
"We spent a very particular season together in Shakhtar," De Zerbi told a news conference on Friday. "When the war started, we were together. And when I spoke about the Ballon d'Or, I was very clear. Maybe my English is not so good, but I was very clear because I was speaking about the potential of the player. The potential of the player can be the same and can respect the prediction or not.
"Until now, he has had many problems. The last problem, the suspension for whatever was the problem, but the [outcome] is clear. And now his challenge is to respect all his qualities because he's a great player. He has to leave this season in a right way, not too [much] pressure, but it is the right moment for him to show [his ability] because if Chelsea paid €100m four years ago... I think they brought a lot of big, big players and to spend €100m, I think they thought very well about the qualities of Mudryk."
Given Mudryk's lengthy absence from elite football, De Zerbi said he was not sure when the 25-year-old might be ready to start a game for Spurs, but did say he is ready to play "20, 15, 30 minutes" against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
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