Mykhailo Mudryk made his debut for London club Tottenham in their Premier League third-round match against Nottingham Forest. The Ukrainian winger was named in Tottenham’s matchday squad for the first time and came on in the 74th minute.
This is according to the official match data from the Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
For the 25-year-old Ukrainian, it was his first competitive appearance in nearly 21 months following a doping case.
Ahead of the match, Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi said Mudryk was not yet ready to play a full game but could feature for 15-30 minutes. The Italian knows the Ukrainian well from their time together at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Mudryk joined Tottenham on loan from Chelsea on September 1, 2026, until the end of the season. He was given the No. 27 shirt at his new club.
Mudryk played his last competitive match before the suspension in the autumn of 2024. In December that year, the Football Association temporarily suspended him following a positive doping test.
Mudryk’s sample was collected out of competition on October 22, 2024. The analysis detected a low concentration of meldonium, a substance prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. On December 4, the FA informed the player of the result and imposed a provisional suspension.
In May 2025, the English football authorities formally charged Mudryk with an anti-doping rule violation. In January 2026, an independent regulatory commission found him guilty and handed him the maximum four-year ban.
The Ukrainian appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. During the proceedings, WADA changed its technical rules concerning the minimum concentration of meldonium. Under the new rules, the level found in Mudryk’s sample would not have triggered notification of a positive result.
On July 30, 2026, the FA, Mudryk and WADA agreed to end the appeal proceedings. The player accepted the anti-doping rule violation, while his suspension was reduced to the period he had already served. Mudryk became eligible to compete again from July 31.
After returning, he featured in pre-season matches for Chelsea before joining Tottenham on loan on the final day of the summer transfer window. The match against Nottingham Forest was his first competitive appearance since the doping case was concluded.
