Cole Palmer has been handed Mykhailo Mudryk’s No. 10 shirt at Chelsea, the club confirmed on Thursday.
Mudryk had donned the number since joining the club for €100 million (£83m) in 2023, but hasn’t played since testing positive for the banned substance meldonium in December.
Chelsea confirmed Palmer — who previously wore the No. 20 — was switching numbers in a statement which made no reference to Mudryk.
“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,” the statement read.
“Palmer 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.”
New signing Liam Delap will wear the No. 9 for Chelsea.
Palmer has been a revelation for the west London side since joining from Manchester City six months after Mudryk, with 37 Premier League goals in two seasons. Mudryk has only managed five league goals for the club.
Mudryk did travel out to Poland to watch Chelsea win the Conference League final against Real Betis, and was pictured with a winners’ medal around his neck afterwards as he posed with Enzo Fernández.
The 24-year-old was eligible for a medal after featuring in the group phase of the tournament, but it is not clear whether the medal was his or Fernandez’s.
Mudryk denied doing “anything wrong” after failing the drugs test in December and said he hoped he would be back on the pitch “soon.”
Neither Chelsea nor the Football Association have provided any updates on the progress of the case since then.
>
