Chelsea’s Multi-Million Signing of Christian Pulisic Underlines the Club’s Transfer Mindset

American winger Christian Pulisic, 20, completed a €64 million transfer to Chelsea on the second day of the January transfer window, however, the Borussia Dortmund star will not make the switch until the end of the season.

This transfer is another significant financial win for Borussia Dortmund who, in 2004, were flirting with bankruptcy seven years after defeating Juventus 3-1 in the final of the UEFA Champions League.

Dortmund relied on a €2 million bailout fund from Bayern to stay afloat and even pay player salaries.

Since then, Die Schwarzgelben have built their wealth, becoming one of the world’s richest clubs by simply buying for less and selling with huge profit margins.

Take a look at some of their notable transfer deals over the past 10 years: defender Mats Hummels was bought from rivals Bayern Munich €4m after completing a loan deal and was sold back to Bayern in 2016 for €35 million.

Gabonese striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang joined from Ligue 1 side Saint-Ettiene for €13 million before departing for Arsenal in a deal that cost the north London side €64 million four years later.

Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a €13 million signing from Shakhtar Donetsk cost Manchester United €42 million.

Dortmund made €130 million in profit on the ridiculously talented Ousmane Dembele a year after the France international joined for €15m before departing for Barcelona in the summer of 2018.

This will remain the best deal for a very long time unless Jadon Sancho proves otherwise.

The latest of Dortmund’s transfer brilliance is that of Christian Pulisic, a homegrown talent that cost Dortmund nothing but will join Chelsea for €64 million next summer.

Whilst this move has sparked an unavoidable discussion as regards Chelsea’s policy and plan for the plethora of hugely talented and highly sort after U-21s in and around the team, as well as the similarity in style and position of Christian Pulisic and the highly rated Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea may have bought themselves a tag that top clubs would want to distance themselves from in the coming years.

Over the past decade, Chelsea have made a habit of scouting and discovering some of the best talents across Europe, however, it is their inability to give the lads adequate game time that has hurt the most.

Take a look at this rich list: Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Mohammed Salah, Thibaut Courtois, etc.

These are players who at some point or the other were on Chelsea’s loan roster.

Few years of consistent playing time took them to the pinnacle of football, edging them as one of the best in their positions. At Chelsea, that was almost impossible to achieve in such a short spell.

What will Chelsea do with Callum Hudson-Odoi with the imminent arrival of Christian Pulisic in the summer?

Surely, the teenager will attempt to force a move seeing as Bayern Munich and Juventus, two of Europe’s elite teams renowned for giving youngsters a chance are keen on his signature.

Chelsea may not have signed Pulisic as Eden Hazard’s potential replacement, but it’s a brilliant piece of business still.

Pedro and William are both in their thirties, and with their contracts winding down in 18 months, it only makes sense that Chelsea splash the cash on a tried and tested winger.

But being just 20, it seems safer for Chelsea to actually splash the cash on a promising talent than promote one who’s reputation is just as high.

Also, considering Jadon Sancho, another teenager who found a home away from the shores of England had already confirmed his place in Dortmund’s starting lineup ahead of the €64 million-rated Pulisic this season, how difficult can it be to actually trust an 18-year old who does not need time to acclimatize.

In this new age where signing young prospects across the globe seem like the smartest way to do business and the new transfer laws that will be in place once Brexit kicks in, Chelsea may just have hurt their own reputation by their infamous transfer policy and treatment of prodigiously talented youngsters.