Christian Pulisic Joins AC Milan for £20m
Christian Pulisic has completed his transfer from Chelsea to AC Milan for a fee of £20 million. The 24-year-old winger had an underwhelming four years at Stamford Bridge, making 47 goal contributions in 145 appearances. He was part of the side that won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup in 2021, but neither Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, nor Graham Potter were able to get the best out of him.
Now a Milan player, Pulisic is hoping for a fresh start and believes he could have been given more chances to prove his worth. He said: “Of course. I’d like to think so. Of course 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 and like I said, I’m just so excited for this new challenge and I’m definitely ready and up for it.”
Pulisic is the 11th player to depart Chelsea this season as their summer clear out continues and has followed Ruben Loftus Cheek to the Serie A giants. He says he is still ‘proud’ of what he achieved at Chelsea, adding: “I believe I had great moments at Chelsea. I learned a lot as a player and I grew a lot, but now I’m completely ready for this brilliant challenge at AC Milan.”
The American international was impressed by the atmosphere at San Siro during his time at Chelsea, saying: “I remember playing here at San Siro in the Champions League [a 2-0 Chelsea win last October] and I could not believe what I was seeing before the match even started when the fans were just chanting and screaming. The atmosphere was absolutely electric. I’d never experienced anything like that. I think AC Milan, playing at San Siro, might be the best place in the world when there’s a big game.”
Pulisic is looking forward to playing in front of the passionate Milanista fans and is determined to make an impact at his new club. He said: “I’m hugely excited, now, to be on the home end of that brilliant support and to be a part of all this. The Milanista fans have already been stunning, it’s incredible. Every place I’ve been there seems to be fans waiting out there; it just shows you the passion and the culture of this city and what this club means to them. They’ve definitely gone “above and beyond” so far.”
Christian Pulisic will be hoping to make an immediate impact at AC Milan and prove his worth after an underwhelming spell at Chelsea. With the support of the passionate Milanista fans behind him, he could be set for a successful career in Italy.