Maurizio Sarri's Guidance Can Help Christian Pulisic Flourish at Chelsea

Christian Pulisic is leaving Borussia Dortmund for Chelsea, where he may have the task of filling the giant void left by Eden Hazard, should the Belgian superstar exit the club.
Maurizio Sarri's Guidance Can Help Christian Pulisic Flourish at Chelsea
Maurizio Sarri's Guidance Can Help Christian Pulisic Flourish at Chelsea /

Chelsea have wasted no time in dipping their toes into the January transfer window and have already completed a deal for Borussia Dortmund winger Christian Pulisic, which was announced by the German club on Wednesday.

The €64m deal won't kick in for fans in west London until the summer, as Pulisic will spend the remainder of this season on loan with Borussia Dortmund, but supporters should be confident that their third-most expensive signing ever can fill the boots of Eden Hazard next season, should the superstar depart as is widely expected.

The 20-year-old will be arriving at Stamford Bridge younger than Hazard was when he swapped LOSC Lille for Chelsea in 2012, but most importantly the USMNT international is already a more complete player than the Belgian winger was at the same stage of his career.

Pulisic already has 115 appearances to his name for the Black and Yellows, where he's scored 15 goals and claimed 24 assists, and he'll be joining from a club which demands to be challenging for silverware.

Yes, the young winger has fallen down the pecking order somewhat this season due to a combination of Jadon Sancho's ascension and injuries, but Pulisic is already a household name across the world, and it's time for him to step up to become the talisman at a European giant.

As was highlighted during a recent international friendly between England and the USMNT, Pulisic is already performing at a Premier League level and he'll be perfectly suited to Maurizio Sarri's system.

Chelsea's manager has an impressive impact on stalling wingers if his record at S.S.C. Napoli is anything to go by too. While most people focus on how Sarri transformed Dries Mertens into the player we know today, José Callejón's stock also rose at the Stadio San Paolo.

Sarri's influence in Naples saw Callejón on average score or assist five more goals each season, compared to the former Real Madrid winger's numbers under Rafa Benítez.

There's only one area of Pulisic's game which is still being questioned by the masses, and that's his end product in the final third - a criticism which more often than not is also hurled towards Chelsea's Hazard.

But at Stamford Bridge, Pulisic will be able to continue his development alongside two of the most clinical wide players in the Premier League, Willian and Pedro, who will both be looking to pass on what they know to the young American.

Pulisic's move next season is unlikely to come with the same amount of pressure that would usually be attributed to big-money signings either, as fans know all too well that the young forward will need time to adapt to life in the Premier League.

But Pulisic isn't going to be fazed by Chelsea's star-studded squad, and having spent the majority of his career so far carrying the hopes of an entire country on his shoulders, the winger will be chomping at the bit to succeed Hazard as the superstar player in west London.


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