Chelsea have stripped Mykhailo Mudryk of their No. 10 shirt after his suspension from football following his failed drug test.
Mudryk, who joined Chelsea for £89m from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, has not played for the Blues since November 2024, after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.
He has now been stripped of his shirt number, with Cole Palmer taking on the famous jersey.
Chelsea confirmed the switch in a statement that did not even mention Mudryk on Thursday morning.
The 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 signing from Manchester City in September 2023, will make the switch ahead of our participation in the US-based tournament and could wear 10 for the first time when the Blues face Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on June 16.
‘Supporters are reminded that the full list of squad numbers for the 2025/26 season will be finalised once the summer transfer window has shut.
‘They remain subject to change until that point.’\
Mudryk is expected to be assigned a new shirt number ahead of the start of next season.
After news of his positive test went public and his provisional suspension in December, Mudryk released a statement insisting he had ‘not done anything wrong’.
Mudryk wrote on Instagram: ‘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.’
Mudryk, who has just 10 goals in 73 appearances for Chelsea, remained silent on social media for the opening months of 2025 before finally breaking his silence in April.
