Tony Cascarino believes Christian Pulisic’s time at Chelsea is coming to an end, but believes his old club has already found the perfect replacement.
Following his £50 million move from Borussia Dortmund, the USA international made an immediate impact and secured his place as a crucial player under Frank Lampard.
Pulisic, on the other hand, has never fully recovered from the hamstring strain he suffered in the FA Cup final against Arsenal two years ago and has battled to gain Lampard’s successor, Thomas Tuchel’s, full faith.
Tuchel has battled to find a consistent space for Pulisic in his starting lineup, even using him in an unaccustomed wing-back role, despite the fact that the two worked together at Dortmund.
Chelsea are likely to be open to bids for Pulisic, as well as fellow wide players Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, as the summer progresses.
Raheem Sterling has emerged as a significant target for Chelsea, according to reports, and the England international is eager on a move away from Manchester City as long as he is guaranteed regular first-team games.
Cascarinio, a former Chelsea striker, is dissatisfied with the way things have gone for Pulisic, but believes Sterling would be a major upgrade.
‘I truly thought Pulisic would be a terrific player for Chelsea when he signed for £50 million,’ he told talkSPORT. I believed he’d be a fantastic player for them. However, due to his injuries, it hasn’t really worked for him.
‘One thing Raheem has got he’s very durable and touch wood he’s been free of injuries. He’s a very durable player. You can switch him on the right as well so he’s a bit more versatile as a player.
‘I could see Chelsea attempting to get that sort of wide player for Tuchel, absolutely. Why wouldn’t you? His numbers, he creates, he just stretches teams, pace always stretches teams.
‘If you want to counter teams, Raheem is good in counter-attack play because he’s so devastating with his place.’