14 April 2024 , 18:52
699
0
Christian Pulisic is starring for AC Milan in Serie A as Chelsea's Premier League struggles continue.
Pulisic, 25, is one of four former Chelsea players performing for the Italian giants after leaving Stamford Bridge in recent years. The United States international moved to Milan a fortnight after Ruben Loftus-Cheek arrived in the summer of 2023. Former teammates Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud were on hand to welcome them to San Siro after previously making the switch from west London.
Away from England, all four have found regular playing time and played some of the best football of their careers. The quartet have combined to score 41 goals for Milan this season, almost half the team's total of 85 across all competitions.
READ MORE: Mauricio Pochettino admits mistakes have been made with Todd Boehly's £1billion spend
READ MORE: Todd Boehly’s first 11 signings compared to Roman Abramovich spree which inspired him
Premier League odds and betting tips
But it is Pulisic who has particularly impressed in his debut season. The winger has played more minutes this campaign than he ever managed for Chelsea and is having the best goalscoring season of his career.
After only scoring a single goal last season, Pulisic has 13 for his new employers. And from the right wing, the American is also creating at a rate not seen since his first season at Chelsea.
He has eight assists across all competitions, with only Giroud, Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez providing more for the team. There is a similar complexion to their top goalscorers, with only Giroud besting Pulisic while Leao and Loftus-Cheek are also in double-digits.
Christian Pulisic is playing better than ever for AC Milan (via Getty Images)Pulisic had always insisted that he just needed more opportunities at Chelsea to show the club what they spent £58million on in 2019. But after not even a fortnight working with new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, a move to Milan materialized.
The player acknowledged wanting more playing time after leaving Chelsea. "There are definitely times where I wish I could've gotten more of an opportunity and been that guy, but yeah, for whatever reason, that's not the case," he told ESPN last summer.
Earlier this month, his father, Mark, reiterated that stance in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport . "I believe there is a wrong perception: for me, it is not true that Christian disappointed at Chelsea," he remarked. "He simply did not play regularly."
The winger faced competition from Carney Chukwuemeka, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Raheem Sterling on the flanks. Cole Palmer would have also rivalled Pulisic for minutes this season, signing a month-and-a-half after he left for Milan.
But of those options, only Palmer has scored or assisted more goals than the American this season. Madueke, Mudryk and Chukwuemeka have combined to score only one more time than Pulisic has managed on his own.
Despite playing predominantly on the right this season on the opposite flank to Leao, the winger still prefers operating off the left. As such, Chelsea fans can only wonder what an attack of Palmer and Pulisic would have looked like in the Premier League.