Christian Pulisic admits uncertainty over Chelsea future

Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has admitted he is ‘not even thinking about’ where he will be playing club football next season as he approaches the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.

The five-year deal that Pulisic signed when he joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund is up next summer. But Chelsea’s new approach to contracts could see them cash in on the ‘Lebron James of soccer’ rather than risk losing him as a free agent in 2024.

That same strategy is also behind possible upcoming sales of Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic.

Pulisic has failed to consistently live up to the potential that his reputation suggested when Chelsea spent £58m on him before he had even turned 21.

His 2019/20 season offered promise, particularly after Premier League football resumed during ‘Project Restart’ when he was scoring or assisting in most games. But injuries have always served to limit Pulisic’s game time, resulting in only eight league starts in 2022/23.

“It’s obviously been an interesting journey at club level for me,” he said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer, while on international duty ahead of the CONCACAF Nations League finals.

“I thought it was a great couple of years, and the last couple years just haven’t gone at all how I’ve planned them to be. This summer, we’re obviously going to have to see what happens — it’s obviously very early. As of right now, I’m a Chelsea player and I plan to go back, but a lot of things can happen, a lot of things can change.”

Pulisic went on to state that his short-term term focus is on his national team.

“[My club future] is really in the back of my head — I’m not even thinking about, right now, where do I want to be next season,” he explained. “I need to also rest after this, get away from the game a bit, and enjoy my break, see my family, all those kinds of good things. And then once it’s time to make decisions and see what options I have, then I’ll deal with it then.”