Chelsea star Christian Pulisic has, on Friday, spoken out over the speculation surrounding his future at Stamford Bridge.
Struggles at the Bridge
United States international Pulisic has of course endured something of a hit and miss season to date.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund man, on the back of a fine campaign last time out, was widely expected to kick on to establish himself as one of Chelsea’s key performers this time around.
Such a development, though, has since failed to come to fruition.
Amid a combination of fitness problems, competition for places and a simple lack of form, Pulisic has managed starts in less than half of the Blues’ Premier League outings to this point in the campaign.
Chelsea’s US midfielder Christian Pulisic (2L) shoots but fails to score during the English Premier League football match between Leeds United and Chelsea at Elland Road in Leeds, northern England on March 13, 2021. (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
‘Obviously happy’
The 22-year-old has enjoyed an upturn in production of late, and of course netted the crucial opener in Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final first-leg showdown with Real Madrid.
The return meeting at Stamford Bridge, however, saw Pulisic dropped back to the bench, a call which the wide-man later admitted to being ‘very frustrated’ with.
Rotation has proven particularly heavy since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel on the bench in west London, with the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kai Havertz, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham all vying it out with Pulisic for a starting berth in attack.
In turn, it did not come as a massive surprise when, last month, speculation began to spread that the American was giving serious consideration to seeking out a summer transfer, in search of more regular playing time.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 04: Christian Pulisic of Chelsea runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 04, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
As outlined above, though, on Friday, Pulisic has moved to pour cold water on reports linking him with a Stamford Bridge exit.
During an interview with ESPN, the gifted attacker was asked whether he remains happy at Chelsea, and went on to explain:
‘Yeah, I’m obviously happy here. It has been an incredible two years.’
‘People have always doubted and said: ‘Oh, he’s not playing, does he want to go here, does he want to go there?’ I’m always up for a challenge, I love competing, I love the position I’m in and I’m enjoying my time here.’
Christian Pulisic has dismissed speculation he could leave Chelsea this summer and insisted he is relishing the challenge of proving himself under Thomas Tuchel 💪 pic.twitter.com/bRHUItGScv
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 14, 2021
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