Christian Pulisic’s future with Chelsea is cloudy if not downright murky, with irregular playing time casting a shadow on the American’s chances to stay with the London club.
While injuries factored into his availability this season, Pulisic wasn’t a consistent starter for Chelsea even when healthy.
He started 34 percent of Chelsea’s total games and played 38 percent of all available minutes. When he was healthy, Pulisic started just about half of the games for which he made the squad.
And while new American ownership certainly could factor into the construction of the roster and Pulisic’s visibility, it is possible that Chelsea may not be the best fit for the young American.
Former United States international Thomas Dooley, who played almost a decade in the German Bundesliga before joining MLS in 1997, thinks that Pulisic should be pursuing a pathway out of Chelsea and to a situation where playing time will be regular.
“Of course he should [leave Chelsea]. Either it is about money or prestige. Is it that much better to sit for a big club on the bench or at another club and play all the time? I don’t like to sit on the bench, no matter what. When the coach [Erich] Ribbeck came to Leverkusen with 14 national team players … and when that coach put me on the bench, I went to the management and asked them to let me go – even though the manager begged me to stay,” Dooley told Pro Soccer Wire.
“I went to Schalke, a team who just came up from the second Bundesliga because I wanted to play and not sit on the bench.”
Dooley would go on to help Schalke win the 1997 UEFA Cup over Inter. He played 81 times for the USMNT including at the 1994 and 1998 World Cup.
Currently, Dooley is the head coach of the Philippines national team, having spoken to Pro Soccer Wire recently about the challenges facing him in what is now his second tenure with the federation. The selection is off to a solid start in Asian Cup qualifiers with a draw and a win.
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