Well, that wasn’t how the Christian Pulisic Chelsea debut was supposed to go.
Pulisic made his long-awaited debut with the Blues on Friday in Yokohama, Japan, coming on in the 65th minute against Kawasaki Frontale of the J-League. He then proceeded to pick up his first loss as a member of Chelsea, as Leandro Damião scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory for the Japanese club.
We all know that money is changing things in the world of soccer, and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It has changed the transfer fees for players and also the contracts those players are awarded. This can lead to some issues for clubs around the world. Here are some prime examples of contract mismanagement.
Alexis Sanchez | Manchester United
True to his word, Christian Pulisic began training with Chelsea FC on Tuesday, July 16, just nine days after the USMNT’s defeat to Mexico in the Gold Cup final. His decision to join-up with the squad in lieu of an extended holiday break earned praise from Blues boss Frank Lampard, and he now has three full training sessions under his belt following today’s open practice in Yokohama, Japan.
If you don’t believe me, just look at his feet.
We still don’t know what number he’ll be wearing in Chelsea blue, but we now officially know what day 20-year-old American Christian Pulisic will be joining up with his new club: Tuesday, July 16 — just nine days after the USMNT’s defeat to Mexico in the Gold Cup final.
After weeks of rumors and other manager candidates dropping like flies, Chelsea finally announced club legend Frank Lampard as the next Blues boss.
Lampard inked a three-year deal with his former club and is ecstatic to return to Stamford Bridge.
Everyone knows that Christian Pulisic isn’t going to immediately step into Eden Hazard’s shoes at Chelsea and act as a carbon copy of the Belgian. Hazard, of course, is eight years older than Pulisic and currently much more decisive in the final third: Hazard hit 16 Premier League goals last campaign, the American tied his career best by reaching four in the Bundesliga.
Chelsea has made its first, and probably only, move while serving a two-window transfer ban (this summer and next January) by permanently signing the previously on-loan Mateo Kovačić from Real Madrid for a fee that could approach nearly $57 million.
The 25-year-old just completed his first season with the Blues, and with plenty of unforeseen circumstances ahead, Kovačić had to be brought back.
One of the major criticisms Chelsea consistently has taken over the past few years is its inability to break youth into the first team. While the Blues have one of the best academies in English soccer, they consistently loan out their best products and are never heard from again.
But with the year-long transfer ban stopping Chelsea from buying more players to fill the holes in its roster, it will have to rely on its youth products to step up.
One such player is Tammy Abraham.
It's been a weird year for Chelsea fans. After finishing third in the English Premier League and winning the Europa League, manager Maurizio Sarri has left the club to return to Italy. He will be coaching Juventus.
As that news is settling down, one rumor won't go away: Blues legend Frank Lampard is set to take over at Chelsea.