Pulisic's Chelsea ordeal ends with AC Milan move for reported €20M
AC Milan signed Christian Pulisic on Thursday, ending four years of injuries, disappointing form, and ever-decreasing minutes blighting the American attacker's spell at Chelsea.
The Rossoneri reportedly paid an initial €20 million to complete his transfer, with an extra €2 million potentially being paid in add-ons. It cost Chelsea £58 million to sign Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund in 2019.
The 24-year-old signed a four-year contract with Milan that includes an option to extend his stay until 2028.
Pulisic previously admitted he feels pressure to live up to the "Captain America" nickname while he's on international duty, but his trips with the United States increasingly appeared to be a valuable escape from club football for the player.
"It's tough. It's definitely played a lot on me, and mentally it's been difficult at times," he said in January 2022 of the scrutiny he gets while playing for Chelsea. "But I'm always very excited to come back with the national team and sort of step away and get to enjoy it."
Pulisic's stats at Chelsea
| Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 98 | 20 | 9 |
| Champions League | 26 | 5 | 5 |
| FA Cup | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| League Cup | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Super Cup | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Pulisic could be deemed a victim of the turbulence at Stamford Bridge. He agreed to join Chelsea when Maurizio Sarri was in charge but arrived when Frank Lampard was at the helm. The appointment of Thomas Tuchel, Pulisic's former Dortmund boss, was widely viewed as an opportunity to belatedly kickstart his Chelsea career, but Tuchel didn't believe Pulisic had meaningfully developed since he was a teenager, according to The Athletic's Liam Twomey.
The aggressive recruitment drive that preceded and followed Tuchel's departure in September 2022 effectively ended Pulisic's time in west London. Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, and Christopher Nkunku all joined Chelsea over the past 12 months and quickly moved ahead of Pulisic in the pecking order.
Pulisic has started just two club matches since early January. His final Chelsea goal was last August.
He should expect more game time at Milan. The club is rebooting this summer after a disappointing Serie A title defense and the summer departures of technical director and Rossoneri icon Paolo Maldini, sporting director Frederic Massara, and midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Pulisic could play in a more central attacking position for Milan given their star left-winger, Rafael Leao, signed a new contract until 2028 in June.