Christian Pulisic is one of the most exciting talents to emerge from the United States in soccer in recent years. Pulisic made his breakthrough into European football at Borussia Dortmund where he grew into one of the best young players in Europe before moving to Chelsea in one of the marquee moves of the January transfer window in 2019.
He remained at Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the 2018-19 season, before beginning his career at Chelsea. However, in the last few months rumors have linked him with a move away from the club.
Pulisic’s Time at Chelsea So Far
Unfortunately for both Pulisic and Chelsea, his time in London so far has been marked by injuries and a resulting lack of playing time. In his first season in 2019-20, Pulisic played in 25 matches, starting in 19, in 2020-21 he played in 27 matches with 18 starts, but last season, Pulisic appeared in only 22 matches and made just 13 starts as Chelsea finished third in the Premier League.
Pulisic has also been deployed in positions he previously hasn’t played at under Thomas Tuchel over the past year. Tuchel has moved Chelsea to a 3-5-2, and has played Pulisic as a right-wing back in the system from time to time. During most of his career at Dortmund, his career at Chelsea preceding Tuchel, and at the international level Pulisic plays as a conventional winger.
The lack of playing time and positioning for Pulisic has led to rumors about a possible move away from Chelsea, and multiple rumors have surfaced over the last couple of months.
Which Clubs May be Interested in Pulisic?
Most of the recent rumors about Pulisic started in January when the forward’s issues surrounding playing time were at their peak. Rumors from the end of summer linking Bayern Munich to Pulisic resurfaced and started the discussion surrounding the American forward.
The start of summer has changed the realities of the transfer market. There is a strong possibility Bayern Munich will sign Sadio Mane away from Liverpool, and Pulisic has been rumored as a potential replacement at Anfield.
AC Milan and Juventus have also been rumored to be interested in Pulisic over the last several weeks, and as Chelsea and Tuchel look to rebuild the squad after a disappointing third place last season its’ possible they will approve a transfer.
Should Pulisic Move On From Chelsea?
The question remaining is whether or not Pulisic should actually leave Chelsea. At 23 years of age, he remains in a critical phase of his development. It is hard to remember that Pulisic still has his prime years ahead of him because of how young he was when he started to regularly feature as a first-team player.
Over the next few years, the keys for Pulisic will be playing time in the right position. The unfortunate fact is that neither of those things are possible at Chelsea at the moment. Pulisic is at his best on the wing, preferably in a 4-3-3. Tuchel prefers a defensively-minded 3-5-2, and in the formation, and with the other players in the team, the playing time and positional fit available to Pulisic at the West London club is most likely not the best situation for his future development.
A potential move to Liverpool could be the perfect fit for the young forward. Jurgen Klopp’s 4-3-3 represents the perfect system for Pulisic, and if Mane departs for Munich there would be a key role within the team available for Pulisic. The transfer market figures to be complicated in the Premier League this summer, with multiple teams rebuilding or retooling, but a potential departure from Chelsea for America’s most talented player will be one of the stories of the summer.
