Chelsea have officially stripped Mykhailo Mudryk of their iconic No. 10 shirt after his suspension from football due to a failed drug test.
The Ukrainian winger, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for £89 million in January 2023, has not featured for the club since November 2024 after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.
In a statement released Thursday morning, Chelsea announced that Cole Palmer will take over the No. 10 jersey ahead of the 2025/26 season. The club’s announcement made no direct mention of Mudryk.
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Chelsea’s statement read:
“Chelsea can confirm Cole Palmer will move to the No.10 shirt ahead of our 2025/26 campaign, starting from the FIFA Club World Cup.”
“Palmer, who has worn the No.20 shirt since joining from Manchester City in September 2023, will make the switch for the US-based tournament and could debut the number 10 jersey when Chelsea face Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on June 16.”
“Supporters are reminded that the full squad number list for 2025/26 will be finalized after the summer transfer window closes and remain subject to change until then.”
Mudryk is expected to be assigned a new shirt number ahead of next season.
Following news of his positive test and provisional suspension in December, Mudryk maintained his innocence in an Instagram statement:
“I can confirm I have been notified that a sample I provided to the FA contained a banned substance. This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.”
“I know I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.”
Since the announcement, Mudryk — who has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances for Chelsea — stayed silent on social media for much of 2025 before breaking his silence in April.
