Chelsea is in the midst of a large-scale rebuild under the new regime. Todd Boehly and Co. have sped up the process of a retooling around Stamford Bridge, spending upwards of £150 million already this summer. There is still a lot of work to be done, and it likely won’t all be completed in two weeks’ time when the transfer window slams shut. One of the biggest hurdles the Blues have to overcome is the offloading of unwanted players.
There is a ton of—for the lack of a better term—deadwood at the club right now. These individuals are players signed under other managers that are either not good enough to play for Chelsea’s first team or they’re not favored by Thomas Tuchel. One of these such players is American phenom Christian Pulisic. The former Dortmund wunderkind is facing an uncertain future in west London after his playing time has quickly faded under Tuchel’s guidance. It’s well-documented that the German manager sees Pulisic as a “super substitute,” which has led to rumors linking the American with other clubs.
Chelsea shouldn’t let Christian Pulisic move to Manchester United
Pulisic has not hid the fact that he’s relatively concerned with his lack of minutes for Chelsea in recent seasons. Now, as he nears his 24th birthday, he’s got to be contemplating his career choices ahead of another transfer window coming and going. Many clubs have picked up on these S.O.S signals from the winger over the last few months.
The Athletic reported on Wednesday morning that Manchester United is keen on bringing Pulisic in on loan. Pulisic would likely favor a move to northern England as it means more playing time for an arguably larger club, albeit one in crisis mode at the moment. However, the Red Devils’ offer is not one that the Blues should entertain for even a second.
Chelsea needs to be selfish when it comes to players like Pulisic. While it’s understandable that individuals such as Ethan Ampadu want to go elsewhere to stay in contention for their teams at the World Cup, Pulisic doesn’t have that issue. The USMNT superstar is going to be selected by Gregg Berhalter regardless of his playing situation. If Pulisic can still positively contribute to Tuchel’s team this season then there should be no rush to move on from him.
This is especially true considering the difficulty the Blues are having bringing in new attacking players right now. It seems as if the Frenkie de Jong and Wesley Fofana deals are at a relative standstill, which means the attacking additions have been put on the back burner. There’s just two weeks left of the transfer window, which means that there could be a mad dash to bring in fresh faces to the forward line in the near future. Until a new attacking signing becomes official, Chelsea cannot afford to move on from players like Hakim Ziyech and Pulisic.
Lastly, we’ve all seen what Pulisic is capable of when he finds his confidence. There is no reason the Blues should sanction a move for the dynamic, young American winger anywhere in the Premier League—especially on loan. There would be no benefit of this move aside from getting a portion of his wages off the books. Even then, that reward is not worth the risk of Pulisic finding his footing at Old Trafford. Manchester United isn’t a threat to the Blues right now, it’s best to keep it that way given all the competition Chelsea is facing elsewhere from the big six.
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