Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic has revealed his excitement over his agreed move to Premier League giants Chelsea.
On Wednesday morning, news broke of an agreement between all three parties that will see Pulisic strut his stuff in England in the 2019/20 season.
Chelsea’s deal to sign Christian Pulisic from Dortmund in five key points
- Chelsea have paid £58 million to sign the 20-year-old.
- Pulisic will stay on loan at Dortmund until the end of the 2018/19 season.
- The American’s contract was due to expire in 2020.
- He was linked with moves to both Arsenal and Liverpool.
- Pulisic will join up with his new side in the summer of 2019.
The US international will join Chelsea with a reputation as one of the most exciting attacking prospects in European football. This enthusiasm is mirrored in Pulisic’s anticipation in playing for Maurizio Sarri’s men.
Discussing his pride at the switch, Pulisic told the Blues’ official website: “In [the] summer I move on to Chelsea and to a new competition, the English Premier League.
“It’s a privilege to have signed for such a legendary club and I look forward to working hard towards being a contributor to their team of world-class players.”
Borussia Dortmund forced to accept “lucrative” Chelsea bid
Pulisic has excelled this season with his form in both the Bundesliga and Champions League enough to convince the west-London club to part with a vast sum of money for a player whose contract expires in the summer of 2020.
“It was always Christian’s dream to play in the Premier League,” said Dortmund director Michael Zorc.
“That certainly has to do with his American background, and as a result we were unable to extend his contract.
“Against this background, we have decided to accept an extremely lucrative bid by Chelsea, given the low contract maturity.”
How the internet reacted to Chelsea’s Pulisic deal…
It is widely reported Liverpool dropped their interest in Pulisic some time ago. Yet, the frequent transfer stories over the years regarding a player signed by Dortmund while Jurgen Klopp was in charge meant Chelsea’s announcement drew reaction among the Reds’ fanbase.
If Klopp wanted C Pulisic he’d of been a Liverpool player let’s get this out there early before the virgin reds on here start having breakdowns for not signing him,I trust klopp look at what the man has built and for me we’ve only seen 25% of Naby who is a Much better player 🛑
— Lee Smith (@LeeSmigX5) January 2, 2019
Chelsea sign Pulisic. Good news
Now we can put our full focus on Fekir and Werner. #LFC#FekirJanuary
— Gas (@officialGass) January 2, 2019
Pulisic isn’t worth that much not a chance, what’s he done to cost near 60 million?
I’d rather have Nabil Fekir and it looks like Klopp really wants him now#LFC— S.O.C (@ScorpioStevie) January 2, 2019
Now Pulisic to Liverpool stories can rest in peace. We need to target better class of players. Not someone who lost his place to an English teenager who wasn't good enough for City.
— Singh _lfc (@TheDoublePivots) January 2, 2019
There was also much concern over what the development could mean for up-and-coming youth star Callum Hudson-Odoi, whose current deal expires next summer.
Christian Pulisic is worth €64m to Chelsea because Dortmund played him. He is two years old than Callum Hudson-Odoi who is just as versatile as a forward and extremely talented and would arguably be worth more.
I just can’t get my head around deals like this, to be honest.
— Jake Entwistle (@JakeEntwistle) January 2, 2019
Although some feel there is room for both Pulisic and Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea.
Pulisic signing will obviously scream as bad news for those wanting Hudson-Odoi to stay. But Willian, 30, and Pedro, 31, both have contracts that end in 2020. If Chelsea can somehow convince Hudson-Odoi to stay and sign a long-term deal, there is room for both #CFC
— Oliver Harbord (@ojharbord) January 2, 2019
Dortmund fans, it seems, were not too devastated…
“Feels like great deal for us, thanks for everything Christian, good luck in future,” wrote one Reddit user, Beciio.
Another added, “64 million for a bench player. Man our board is doing some f***ing work”.
There were suggestions among those associated with Chelsea that the club were overpaying…
£57.5m isn't cheap for someone who will have just 12 months left on thier contract when he joins for real in the summer. #Pulisic #cfc https://t.co/djqMNEQgGy
— Simon Johnson (@sjstandardsport) January 2, 2019
…while others expressed the kind of excitement you would expect from such a major transfer deal.
Words cant describe how excited i am for this, im fed up of Willian. Fresh young winger at RW with Hazard on the left. Welcome to Chelsea Pulisic! pic.twitter.com/d2TtGbsNww
— 5 (@Jorginhoed) January 2, 2019
Came from Pennsylvania, dripping in sauce. Defenders have families. 2019/20 title loading. It's Pulisic Szn. pic.twitter.com/risz4BT9Il
— Akanksh (@KovacicKontrol) January 2, 2019