In January 2019, Chelsea opted to spend $73 million (£57.6 million) to bring Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund to Stamford Bridge. Pulisic, who was then 20 at the time, became not just the most expensive American signing, but the most expensive acquisiton from North America of all time.
After spending the rest of the season at Signal Iduna Park, Pulisic arrived at Stamford Bridge just in time for Frank Lampard's debut as coach. It didn't take him long to settle in; on October 26th, he netted a hat-trick as Chelsea overpowered Burnley 4-2. In doing so, he set several milestones. These included becoming, at the time, Chelsea's youngest player to score a hat-trick, the second American to score three in the Premier League (after Clint Dempsey), and the second Blues player to score a "perfect" hat-trick (header, left foot, and right foot) after Didier Drogba did so in 2010.
The 2019/2020 season saw him directly involved in 21 goals across all competitions (11 goals, ten assists), and many fans had high hopes for the Pennsylvania-born attacker. Unfortunately, Pulisic has experienced a tougher sophomore term at Stamford Bridge than expected. During the first half of the season, he struggled with injuries that kept him on the sidelines for extended periods, and despite having recovered, he's yet to establish a consistent place in the starting XI.
Interestingly, Lampard's dismissal saw Pulisic reunited with someone from his past: Thomas Tuchel. The two worked together during his time with Dortmund, so many expected the arrival of the German tactician to correspond with Pulisic being restored to the starting line-up.
However, that hasn't happened. Since Tuchel's arrival at the end of January, the 22-year-old has yet to make a Premier League start under his tenure. That included being left on the bench as Chelsea defeated Everton 2-0. When Tuchel was asked about Pulisic's continued omission, he noted that "I cannot say anything other than positive things about him, [but perhaps] his problem is that I know from Dortmund how strong he is from the bench".
"I know what an impact he can have in 20-30 mins, [but his lack of playing time] isn't from a lack of trust or lack of quality. He just needs to be patient".
It's not surprising, then, that many of Chelsea's rivals are closely monitoring the USMNT star's situation. Despite his hefty price tag, and his being on a contract that lasts until 2024, both Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with trying to lure him away from Stamford Bridge. Whether they succeed is another matter; for now, Chelsea fans will be hoping to see him in action sooner rather than later.
