By Alex Al-Kazzaz
On January 2nd, 2019, Chelsea announced that Christian Pulisic had been set to join the club later that year. The club paid a total of €64 million(£57.6 million) for the then 20-year-old American prodigy, allowing him to become the most expensive American player in history. Pulisic arrived at Stamford Bridge with colossal potential and heavy expectations. No doubt, the move was regarded as a marriage made in heaven. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for it to become obvious that it wasn't.
Pulisic scored a total of 26 goals in 145 appearances with Chelsea. He suffered numerous injuries during his time with the club and spent the majority of his time as a reserve player. Pulisic did help the club win the Champions League in 2021, along with the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. However, the lack of playing time, lack of impact, the injuries, etc., solidifies the entire experiment as unpleasant.
Now that Pulisic is with AC Milan, he has a much-needed fresh start. Pulisic is not the only player that needed a change. The likes of Kai Havertz and Mason Mount also departed Stamford Bridge. Pulisic is not the only former Chelsea player to land in Milan this off-season, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek recently signed with AC Milan. In addition, he joins Olivier Giroud, who was Pulisic's teammate at Chelsea from 2019 to 2021.
Pulisic can benefit well from playing with some familiar faces. He and Rafael Leão certainly have the potential to be a unique dynamic attacking duo. Pulisic will have to adapt to the Italian style of play, but the question is whether he can stay healthy. AC Milan is competing in the upcoming UEFA Champions League, so Pulisic must stay healthy and play his best soccer. Pulisic has a lot at stake and cannot afford another unpleasant spell.
Later this month, AC Milan will start a pre-season tour in the United States. They'll be playing exhibition matches against Real Madrid and Juventus in Los Angeles before heading to Las Vegas for an exhibition against Barcelona. Pulisic is expected to travel with the team.