Christian Pulisic has a big summer ahead of him as the USMNT star will be thinking long and hard about his future at club level.
Should he stay at Chelsea? Should he leave? Where should he go?
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The latest report on his situation is from The Daily Mail, as they say Christian Pulisic wants to stay at Chelsea despite interest in him from Juventus. Per the report, Pulisic is not keen on a move to Juve. The Mail also state that AC Milan have been monitoring the situation, as Chelsea appear to be willing to let Pulisic move on this summer if the right offer arrives.
This follows a report on his future from The Daily Telegraph, as they said that Chelsea have offered Juventus one of Pulisic and Timo Werner, plus cash, for Matthijs de Ligt.
Of course, USMNT fans will be hoping whatever happens with Christian Pulisic at Chelsea will be best for the U.S. ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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But there is no way of knowing what will be best for his future and this summer is a really big moment in his career.
USMNT star will have plenty of options
Look, it’s clear that Chelsea seem pretty keen to freshen up their attack and are okay with moving on from Pulisic this summer.
Pulisic has scored big goals and won big trophies at Chelsea over the last three seasons but his injury record is concerning and he doesn’t really suit Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-2-1 system as the German coach prefers narrow attackers and Pulisic is a true winger.
Whether or not Chelsea’s new American owners will sell him -- he has two years left on his contract so his transfer value will only diminish after this summer, if he doesn’t sign a new deal -- remains to be seen but plenty of clubs will want to pick up the USMNT star. His talent is undoubted.
With Raheem Sterling, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele all linked with moves to Chelsea, all three of those players play in very similar positions to Pulisic. It doesn’t look great for his future at Chelsea.
Tuchel likes Pulisic, a lot, but he’s admitted that he sees him as a player who can have a real impact off the bench and often uses him in that role. If Pulisic stays at Chelsea next season and they do sign two of Sterling, Dembele and Raphinha, the competition in his role will be huge. Five subs will be allowed per game in the Premier League from next season but Pulisic definitely wants more than a bit-part role at a top team.
Will he get that at Chelsea? Maybe not.
Where should he go?
If he does fancy a move then heading to Turin to play for Juve isn’t an awful idea. It may not be the best move for his career, but it may not be the worse and it could be a lot better than warming the bench at Chelsea.
Juventus are in the UEFA Champions League, his close friend Weston McKennie is relied on heavily in midfield (USMNT fans are salivating over the idea that they could combine week in, week out in Italy) and Juve’s attacking options aren’t as plentiful as Chelsea’s. He would battle with the returning Federico Chiesa for playing time but Juventus have offloaded plenty of attacking stars this summer with Federico Bernardeschi and Paulo Dybala both leaving. This could be a good opportunity for him to be a main man at a top European team.
Pulisic seems like he needs a fresh start somewhere and at 23 years of age (he turns 24 in September) he still has the prime of his career ahead of him. He can’t waste his prime sitting on a bench or playing for a manager who doesn’t fully believe in him.
He will have options in Italy, Spain, Germany and in the Premier League but above all else he needs to play for a team which suits his style of play best and for a manager who will play him regularly.
The fact Chelsea are offering him to other clubs tells us all, including Pulisic, that it is time to move on. But perhaps the Pennsylvanian native wants to wait until after the World Cup to make that move. It’s a tough decision.