Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has backed Christian Pulisic to take inspiration from Timo Werner and leave Chelsea for good.
Since joining the club in June 2019, €64 million-man Pulisic has struggled to nail down his place in the Chelsea starting XI. Over the course of the 2022-23 season, Pulisic has appeared in 10 Premier League games, starting in only two of them.
Werner was in the same boat as Pulisic last summer, finding himself on the fringes under then-manager Thomas Tuchel. In the summer transfer window, Werner permanently returned to his home soil, rejoining RB Leipzig.
He has since been a revelation for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring eight times and claiming four assists in 14 matches across competitions. Carragher has asked Pulisic to draw inspiration from Werner’s departure and take the bold call of leaving the Pensioners.
Speaking on CBS Sports, Carragher said (via Football.London):
“That’s why I think Thierry [Henry] is saying he respects Timo Werner. Rather than just sitting on the bench another year or two he’s gone back to somewhere where he’s going to play week in, week out.
“And I just think Pulisic is sort of at that stage now where there’s been a few managerial changes. It looks like he’s getting more of a chance with Potter, but not just him, I think Graham Potter is a manager who changes it every game so everyone is getting a chance.”
Carragher claimed that the 24-year-old was in a rut for far too long, suggesting that a shift was needed to revive his career. He added:
“So he may feel like he’s getting more of an opportunity to prove to the manager he can be in that recognized 11. But he’s been there a few years now, it hasn’t quite happened for him for whatever reason, and maybe Dortmund is a level down from Chelsea who are a team who are trying to win the Champions League – we know Pulisic was part of that win.
“But eventually you have to make that decision. I don’t think you can continue to be in that position that he’s been in for the last two or three years.”
Since joining Chelsea, Pulisic has featured in 124 games for the west Londoners across competitions, recording 26 goals and 21 assists.
Jamie Carragher unsure whether or not Christian Pulisic can transform his fortunes under new Chelsea boss
Pulisic started in Tuesday’s (October 25) Champions League Group E win over RB Salzburg, assisting Kai Havertz’s 64th-minute goal in a 2-1 win. If he keeps this up, he could theoretically become an integral member of Potter’s Chelsea XI.
Carragher, however, is unsure whether or not an upturn is on the cards for Pulisic. When asked whether Pulisic could turn his fortunes around under Potter, Carragher said:
“I’ve never questioned Pulisic’s actual ability, some of the things I’ve seen him do, some of the goals I’ve seen him score. But it’s consistency and injuries. He’ll get a run in the team then get injured and it gives someone else an opportunity. He never seems to get a [long] run in the team and I think it will be difficult for him [under Potter].
“Maybe his time has come and gone. But we’re in the early stages of Graham Potter so who knows. Fingers crossed he can.”