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Christian Pulisic’s future with Chelsea is in doubt and once again the rumors linking the American star to Bayern Munich have surfaced.
Per a report from the Daily Mail, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Manchester United are among the clubs keeping tabs on the Pennsylvania native.
Why are these rumors coming back into the news? Well, Pulisic’s recent brief appearance against Everton and lack of Premier League starts under manager Thomas Tuchel has amplified the noise about potential frustration from the player. Also, Tuchel’s quotes after the match did not provide much reassurance to the United States international.
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For as brilliant as Tuchel can be as a manager at times, the 47-year-old does have a bit of a tendency to get himself into trouble with his mouth.
Tuchel did indicate that Pulisic’s role against Everton was “unfair” and lamented his own decision to leave Pulisic out for the majority of the match. The German manager’s explanation, however, did not do much to quell speculation that the American is not among Tuchel’s first choices.
“I can say nothing else but good things about him. Maybe his biggest problem is that I know him from Dortmund and I think he started only in the cup games,” Tuchel, who is unbeaten in nine league games. “It is my responsibility and it is a bit unfair, but I know what impact he can have in the last 20 or 30 minutes. He was a bit unlucky in the last few games. It isn’t a lack of trust or quality, it is just that he will have to be patient.”
Surely, 20-to-30 minute stints on the pitch are probably not what Pulisic has in mind for his immediate future.
The Daily Mail also indicated that the log jam of players including Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech has negatively impacted Pulisic’s place on the depth chart.
Tuchel addressed the situation, but again, no assurance was granted for Pulisic.
“It is like this, we have a strong group. The guys have to keep on fighting. There’s no other way,” Tuchel remarked.
Pulisic’s ability to slide between multiple offensive roles definitely makes him an attractive target to clubs like Bayern Munich and Liverpool.
BFW Analysis
We had seen rumors of Bayern Munich’s interest in Pulisic both in the past and recently. Back in February, we saw the first of the new rumors with Pulisic, but Sport Bild’s Christian Falk shot them down just over a week later.
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Given Falk’s “closeness” to many Bayern Munich rumors, there is no reason to doubt his initial “Not true” designation. However, we have seen other rumors that Kingsley Coman could be financially and competitively incented to make a move to Manchester United as soon as this summer.
With fourth winger Douglas Costa definitely leaving Bayern Munich after this campaign, an exit for Coman could potentially create roster space for Pulisic in Bavaria.
Is it likely? Maybe (and that is a loose maybe).
If any of this report is true, it is likely that Bayern Munich was linked to Pulisic again because the Bavarians are preparing “Doomsday” plans should Coman really opt to make a move this summer (as unlikely as it currently may seem).
Regardless, Pulisic is still only 22-years-old, has an abundance of talent and versatility, and could be a welcomed addition to Bayern Munich, Liverpool, or Manchester United should any of those clubs experience turnover with their attackers.