Chelsea are hoping for a much stronger campaign after a disappointing 2025-26 season.
The Blues finished 10th in the Premier League and missed out on European qualification after another inconsistent year.
The club responded by appointing Xabi Alonso and investing heavily in the transfer market.
Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Geovany Quenda and Marco Palestra have all arrived as Chelsea begin a new era under their Spanish head coach.
The summer rebuild has now received another significant boost.
According to BBC Sport, Mykhailo Mudryk is free to return to competitive football after the Court of Arbitration for Sport partially upheld his appeal against a four-year doping ban.
The Ukraine international has not played since November 2024. The Football Association suspended him after an out-of-competition test returned an adverse finding for meldonium.
He later received a four-year ban before challenging the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The appeal has now changed the outcome.
The court ruled that Mudryk can return with immediate effect after he accepted breaking anti-doping rules and agreed to a suspension equal to the time he has already served.
The ruling also noted that changes to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s guidance mean the concentration found in his sample would not trigger an adverse finding if the same test happened today.
Mudryk expressed his relief after the decision. The 25-year-old said he had never knowingly taken a banned substance and described the case as the most difficult period of his career.
He also thanked Chelsea for their support throughout the process. The Ukrainian also said:
“As I have always maintained from the outset of this case, I have never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance.”
Chelsea have already confirmed their next step. The club said they look forward to helping Mudryk regain full fitness before reintegrating him into the first-team squad.
Mudryk will also join Xabi Alonso’s squad on their pre-season tour as he prepares for his long-awaited return to action.
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