Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is now eligible to return to football immediately, bringing an end to a long absence that followed a positive doping test nearly two years ago.

The Ukraine international had been provisionally suspended by the FA and was facing a possible ban of up to four years. He consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying he “never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules.”

In January 2026, an independent regulatory commission found him guilty of anti-doping rule violations and imposed a four-year suspension. Mudryk appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the matter has since been settled through an agreement involving Mudryk, the FA and WADA, leaving him free to play again.

A key element in the case was a revision to the WADA technical document covering meldonium concentration. The updated threshold is not retroactive, so previous cases are not reopened automatically, but the “low concentration” in this instance meant the same sample taken today would not have registered as a positive test.

That development was considered during the appeal review, though Mudryk has not been cleared of all wrongdoing. He accepted the anti-doping rule violations originally charged and agreed to a suspension equal to time already served.

“This has been the most difficult period of my career,” Mudryk himself said in a statement posted on Instagram. “As I have always maintained from the outset of this case, I have never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance. My commitment to competing fairly and representing my club and country with professionalism and integrity has always been important to me.”

He also thanked family, friends and his legal team, and expressed “deep gratitude” to Chelsea for their support. He is “focused on returning to football.”

There is still a practical hurdle. While the ban was in place, he could not train with Chelsea or use the facilities at Cobham. The club provided a programme for him and allowed access to Uxbridge FC, a seventh-tier side based in outer west London.

Whether he has a future at Chelsea remains unclear. His No. 10 shirt went to Cole Palmer in 2025, but the left wing has not been firmly settled during his absence.

Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho is now being linked with a possible move to Aston Villa, with reports suggesting talks are at an advanced stage over a season-long loan.

The Athletic says Villa have put forward a proposal that would include a conditional obligation to buy, although the finer details and financial terms are still unresolved. Fabrizio Romano has also reported that negotiations between the club and the player remain ongoing, while Emery has already given his approval for Garnacho to be considered a target for the reigning Europa League champions. That interest is not new, either, with the manager understood to have wanted the winger last summer after he became available following his departure from Manchester United, only to lose out to Chelsea.

At Stamford Bridge, the focus has been more on exits than arrivals after a disappointing 2025-26 campaign that ended without even a Conference League place. Alonso has shown little interest in keeping players who do not suit his plans or those who want to move on, and Chelsea have already allowed seven players to leave.

A move for Garnacho would fit that wider pattern. Chelsea are also working through other major business, including the reported $157.3 million (£117 million) deal for Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers. According to The Athletic, the two deals are separate and do not depend on each other.

The club are not finished in the market, either. Defensive reinforcements remain a priority, with John Stones linked after his Manchester City contract expired, while Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix is also said to be on the club’s radar.

For Garnacho, a loan would mark a sharp change after only one year at Chelsea. He signed a seven-year deal just last summer, but his debut season brought only eight goals, six of them in cup competitions, along with four assists in 43 appearances. His 24 Premier League outings were too uneven to convince Alonso.

Still, a spell away could offer the Argentina winger the restart he needs, along with Champions League soccer next season, something Chelsea cannot offer.

Chelsea have revealed their away shirt for the 2026-27 season, a design that blends a fresh look with familiar detail, but the missing front-of-shirt sponsor remains the main talking point.

The new kit features gold accents around the collar and sleeve cuffs, while the laurel wreath motif returns from the home shirt. Supporters will get their first look at it in action during preseason, though the absence of a sponsor is likely to draw the most attention.

Chelsea have not had a permanent shirt sponsor since the 2022-23 season. Three’s agreement was allowed to run out 12 months after BlueCo took over, with the new ownership then seeking a higher-value replacement. Since then, the club have relied on short-term deals with Infinite Athlete, Damac and, most recently, IFS. The last two of those lasted only a matter of months as front-of-shirt sponsors.

At one stage, Chelsea were reported to be asking for as much as $80 million (£60 million) per season. That figure was compared with the deal Manchester United are believed to have with Snapdragon, which is regarded as the biggest sponsorship arrangement in the Premier League.

Club officials defended the decision to wait by saying they could secure a larger fee while qualifying regularly for the Champions League. That argument has not held in the short term, with the 2026-27 season set to include no European football at all after a poor end to the previous campaign.

Chelsea have since adjusted their asking price, with Sportico’s Łukasz Bączek reporting that the club are now looking for between £45 million and £50 million. They are also targeting technology companies that could offer support in other areas of the club.