Last season, Christian Pulisic was an enigma at Chelsea. Not quite a starter, but not quite a squad player, his role within the squad fluctuated constantly as the campaign moved forward.
At times, Pulisic was a key contributor, scoring and assisting key goals in bunches in a free-flowing attack. Other times, he was deployed in awkward positions that saw his production flounder. And still others, he was relegated to the trainer’s room with nagging injuries that stunted his potential.
Ultimately, he collected 1,285 Premier League minutes across 22 league appearances, including 13 starts. He added 368 Champions League minutes in seven appearances, plus 554 minutes in other competitions. He was an unused substitute five times in league play.
While on international duty after the season, Pulisic was diplomatic about his situation, but also didn’t back down from the stark truth. “Of course, I want to get more playing time. I want to be on the field as much as I can and be the sharpest I can be and fit as well,” Pulisic told the media in early June.
“I think I still got a lot of games, but it’s always something that I’m working at and trying to be regular at club level as well to put myself in the best position to be fit when I come here with the national team.”
With that in mind, what are the options for Pulisic this summer, and where would he find the most high-leverage minutes to continue progressing in his career?
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Why would Christian Pulisic leave Chelsea?
Given Pulisic’s playing time last season, it’s conceivable that the 23-year-old could look at the squad makeup this coming season and decide to find a new home.
A central striker in Romelu Lukaku departed, and Chelsea replaced him with winger/striker hybrid Raheem Sterling. There are rumors that the Blues wish to offload Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, but those rumors have yet to gain steam.
Tuchel attempted to allay Pulisic’s fears of lacking minutes last season by explaining his limited playing time as a product of his heavy World Cup qualifying commitments, saying, “Puli struggled a little since international break where he had incredible amount of journey and timezones. I felt he struggled a little bit energy wise on and off the pitch, it’s sometimes like this.”
Tuchel admitted, however that there are lots of attacking players on the roster, and that could be a problem with limited minutes. Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s pre-season friendly against Charlotte FC on July 20, Tuchel said there will be more minutes for attacking players thanks to the increase to five substitutions allowed, but there is still a logjam up front at the club.
“Of course we are keen to find more or less a starting lineup and mixture that is good together and provides goals and assists and danger for the opponents,” Tuchel said. “At the moment, we have a lot of offensive players. We need to find positions and roles, because everybody needs a role so the players can be the best versions of themselves.”
If Pulisic looks at the Chelsea depth chart and doesn’t quite know his role within the squad, he could decide a move is best for everyone.
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Where could Christian Pulisic move in Europe?
There are a few possible destinations for Pulisic should he move from Chelsea.
The American was linked with Liverpool early in the summer as the Reds looked to replace Sadio Mane, but Liverpool splashed the cash for Darwin Nunez, leaving Pulisic’s hopes of a move to Anfield in tatters. “I am told it won’t be Pulisic,” said CBS reporter Ben Jacobs of Liverpool’s transfer target options.
That doesn’t leave many Premier League options left at Pulisic’s level. Tottenham could have been a possibility, but Spurs also spent big for Brazilian forward Richarlison, and manager Antonio Conte now has decisions to make up front with four starting-caliber attackers. A move to Arsenal could also be conceivable, but it would require a step down to the Europa League, and the Gunners also just brought in Gabriel Jesus who is a versatile forward.
Pulisic was recently linked with Juventus, which would see the American join international teammate Weston McKennie at the Italian club. Former Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini also endorsed the possible move, saying to ESPN, “I think Juventus needs some winger as Pulisic. Pulisic is very good, I think, when he starts from the side and comes inside.”
A return to Borussia Dortmund could also be a sensible move. Pulisic excelled in Germany as a teenager before moving to Chelsea, and a possible partnership with fellow American winger Gio Reyna would be exciting. However, Dortmund is loaded on attacking talent with new strikers Sebastien Haller and Karim Adeyemi supported by Thorgan Hazard, Marco Reus, Julian Brandt, Donyell Malen, Jude Bellingham, and Reyna.
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Could Christian Pulisic stay at Chelsea?
At this point, with a lack of sensible options at other clubs, the most likely scenario is Pulisic remains at Chelsea for another year.
Romelu Lukaku is gone, at least one of Timo Werner or Hakim Ziyech could leave, and Sterling is likely to play up front as a central striker. That still leaves Pulisic in a great position for significant minutes with the club. Tuchel has backed Pulisic as an important player to the squad, and when healthy he remains a player who can contribute on a consistent basis.
Speaking to ESPN ahead of Chelsea’s friendly against Club America in Las Vegas, Pulisic addressed the issue by reiterating his desire to stay and fight for a place.
“That’s just life at a big club,” Pulisic said about the constant battle for playing time. “We have great quality and [new signing] Raheem [Sterling] we’re really excited about it. The beautiful thing about being at a club like this is the competition every single day. We all thrive competing with each other in training. It’s just another great addition to the team and it doesn’t change a whole lot.
“I’m still going to have to play hard and enter my position just like I did before. Nothing crazy. This is Chelsea. This is what this is, what you sign up for and this is the kind of club it is with the caliber of players that we have.”
While that’s not the most convincing Pulisic could have been, it’s still a statement of intention from the American who clearly would rather stay put this summer than move on.
Last season, Pulisic was second on the team in goal contributions (goals + assists) per minute, behind just the prolific Kai Havertz, a startling number given how often he was deployed in uncomfortable positions. If the club does indeed offload both Werner and Ziyech, that would leave Pulisic as one of three players along with Havertz and Mason Mount for the two supportive attacking roles tucked in behind the striker, presumably Sterling.
According to Paul Tenorio of The Athletic on August 29, Pulisic will indeed stay at Chelsea this summer. Blues’ ownership turned down the opportunity to find a loan deal for the summer, with Manchester United and Newcastle interested plus Champions League clubs in Italy and Spain.
This has reportedly left Pulisic dismayed, as he hoped to find a solution to his decreasing minutes. Pulisic has not started any of the first four matches of the season for Chelsea, coming off the bench for each game, totaling 72 minutes.
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