Hardly ever in soccer historical past has a membership undergone such a sudden and drastic change as Chelsea have below Todd Boehly's possession over the previous yr and a bit.
Of the 14 gamers who began their Champions League closing win over Manchester Metropolis in 2021, solely three gamers stay at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea co-owner doesn't strike you because the sort of man who has a lot in frequent with Blues cult hero Pat Nevin, however they may share an affinity for Orange Juice's “Rip It Up and Begin Once more.” Former wingman-turned-DJ Nevin appreciates songwriter Edwyn Collins' laid-back hooks; The American investor Boehly clearly sees one thing within the phrases.
What line follows the title line of that stone chilly indie-pop basic?
“I hope to God you're not as silly as you look.
Ahem.
After taking the sledgehammer to the workforce he inherited, there was inevitably loads of consideration paid to the practically billion spent on shiny new signings. Much less has been stated about these they substitute.
Christian Pulisic arrived at Chelsea as America's nice hope. He confirmed loads of promise in his first yr below Frank Lampard, however common alternatives dwindled over time and he was totally on the periphery by the point Lampard returned to the fire-fighting operation within the spring.
Premier League begins down year-on-year – Nineteen. Eighteen. 13. Eight. The 24-year-old winger shouldn’t be the one participant to have struggled with an absence of stability at Stamford Bridge lately, and final yr's meltdown made it clear he wants a correct house.
It's very early days, however Pulisic may discover simply that at AC Milan. Stefano Pioli threw him straight into the beginning XI for the Rossoneri's 2023-24 opener in Bologna and he repaid his religion by producing an absolute golazo after simply 20 minutes of his aggressive debut.
Christian Pulisic with an absolute screamer on his Serie A debut 🔥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ABxtBO8KmR
— Planet Soccer (@planetfutebol) August 21, 2023
This can be a participant with lots to show.
You would inform by the way in which he lunged with function on the opposition protection and performed it to former Chelsea team-mate Olivier Giroud earlier than getting it again on the sting of the field.
It was evident as he drove off to rejoice and hugged outdated buddies Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fikayo Tomori.
“It wasn't essentially one second the place it hit the transfer, simply over time and the way in which the season went, with a yr left on my contract, it felt like the correct time to make a transfer for my profession.” On the finish of the day, the transfer felt like a no brainer,” stated Pulisic Males in blazers.
“I spoke with the administrators, I used to be additionally on the telephone with the coach. You need to really feel good and really feel such as you need to.
“Everybody on the membership made me really feel that means, they made me really feel actually good earlier than they even set foot in right here.
“I spoke to all of the ex-Chelsea gamers, they instructed me particulars in regards to the membership and to be trustworthy, all of them spoke very nicely of him.
“Everybody made it sound prefer it was a fantastic alternative for me. I trusted them they usually additionally helped me lots with the transition.”
Chelsea are a membership that by no means gave Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah sufficient alternatives and have needed to remorse it. This can be a very new period at Stamford Bridge, however that doesn't imply they’re proof against the identical outdated errors.
Pulisic already seems at house with Milan. Absolutely he would love nothing greater than to indicate Chelsea what they’re lacking.
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