Christian Pulisic’s time at Chelsea is over. On Thursday July 13, AC Milan confirmed the arrival of the 24-year-old United States international.
The former Borussia Dortmund prodigy shone brightly in his early days at Stamford Bridge, but the past two seasons have been beset by injuries and inconsistency — both in Pulisic’s form, and in what was asked of him, playing all over the pitch for four different managers in 2022-23 alone. So, what can he expect in San Siro?
Former AS Monaco sporting director Tor-Kristian Karlsen answers that question and many more regarding Pulisic’s move to one of the most storied clubs in Europe.
Why Milan? Was there a better option?
Having struggled with recurring injuries and finding it hard to assert himself when given a rare run of games, Pulisic’s somewhat negative career trend meant that the next step was always going be backward or sideways (as much as AC Milan are still one of most followed clubs in the world). The American might face stronger competition for his preferred spot at Milan than at other clubs that apparently made concrete offers, but it’s unlikely that Lyon — one of those reportedly involved — would be able to offer similar financial conditions (estimated wages at €4 million net a year, according to reports in Italy). The allure of UEFA Champions League football, which was not on offer at the French club, was also likely to have been a decisive factor.
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While Napoli are favourites to retain their Scudetto, Milan are among the chasing pack. The Rossoneri lost influential midfielder Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United, but the squad is undergoing a steady rebuild, with former Chelsea teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek already presented and further new arrivals set to join; Pulisic’s USMNT colleague Yunus Musah is another possible recruit.
Where will he play?
On the surface, joining Milan could look an odd choice considering their star player, Rafael Leao — who recently extended his contract and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere — thrives on the left-hand side of the attack and looks nailed on to start in the position Pulisic most favours. With the tremendously gifted Portugal international not likely to be shifted around in attack, Milan presumably see Pulisic in a No. 10 role behind the front man — either as a direct replacement for returning Real Madrid loanee Brahim Diaz or to provide more certainty than the mercurial Charles De Ketelaere.
Another possibility might see Pulisic fielded as a right winger; here he would undoubtedly provide more quality on the ball than any their current alternatives. Moreover, head coach Stefano Pioli is known to tweak his formation; although he favours a 4-2-3-1, he can switch to a back three, too, which can allow for less rigid attacking patterns.
Which Milan player will benefit most from his arrival?
If he’s fielded in a No. 10 role, ironically Leao should benefit from Pulisic’s vision, combination game and ability to pick a pass behind the defensive line. Olivier Giroud, ostensibly the first-choice centre-forward and another of Pulisic’s former Chelsea teammates, would also welcome the American’s playmaking skills. Furthermore, there’s no reason Pulisic — courtesy of his excellent strike on the ball — shouldn’t be able to take his goal-scoring tally into double figures in a well-functioning Milan side.
Per ESPN Stats and Information Group, it could be a problem if Pulisic is played in wide positions given that Leao is dominant on the left flank.
Yet that’s also where Pulisic has often played in recent years for Chelsea:
Which Milan player will be hurt most from his arrival?
De Ketelaere. The young Belgium international failed to make his mark in Serie A following his high-profile €35.5m move from Club Brugge last summer, providing a meagre return of a single assist from 32 Serie A appearances. While Milan won’t give up on the tall, rangy attacking midfielder just yet, Pulisic represents more of a proven, consistent quantity.
Can Pulisic turn Milan into Serie A contenders again?
If Milan play their hand impeccably in the summer transfer market, they should at the very least shorten the 20-point gap to Napoli. Since winning the Scudetto in the spring, the Naples outfit have faced their own challenges — most importantly having to replace their successful head coach, Luciano Spalletti, with Rudi Garcia — and might still lose highly rated centre-forward Victor Osimhen before the end of the transfer period.
With Juventus going through a rebuild and AS Roma, Lazio and Inter Milan lacking the resources to act with any extravagance in the transfer market, there’s very little between the big clubs, at least on paper.
Will Chelsea miss him at all?
Given Pulisic’s bright start at Stamford Bridge — adding such freshness in his 2019-20 debut season — he does leave the club with a sense of unfinished business and some lingering questions of what could have been. That said, at the rate Chelsea are signing new players and with the relentless battle for attacking slots, it does seem wise for both parties to go their separate ways.
There’s no doubt, however, that an in-form, injury-free Pulisic could justify an important role at Chelsea. Having dropped down the pecking order, though, he’s better off rebooting his career elsewhere.
Pulisic’s output and outlook
Information courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information Group
Pulisic is coming off a disappointing season with Chelsea in which he scored one goal and had two assists in 30 games in all competitions: these were his lowest single-season totals in four seasons with Chelsea.
Christian Pulisic has dealt with a lot of turnover at the manager position in his four seasons with the club. Nevertheless, his minutes and production have all been declining.
Other facts:
– Pulisic would join Sergiño Dest (2022-23) and Oguchi Onyewu (2009-11) as U.S. internationals to have played for AC Milan, although Onyewu never made a Serie A appearance for the club. Pulisic’s teammate with the national team Yunus Musah has also been linked with a move to the Italian club.
– AC Milan is owned by American Gerry Cardinale, founder and managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners. He is a board member of RedBird FC, a European football and analytics platform which controls Toulouse FC in France.
Despite the fact he is American, Pulisic has a Croatian passport, which means he does not take up a non-EU spot on the roster. Clubs in Serie A can only register one non-EU player without restrictions, two if one of the current non-EU players on the squad leaves. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who is English, is non-EU.
