West Ham have been linked with Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic recently and the USA star could be David Moyes’ own version of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.
It was once suggested by ESPN pundits Craig Burley and Shaka Hislop during the summer that the London Stadium would be a good career move for the former Borussia Dortmund star, who has struggled for consistency during his spell at Stamford Bridge.
Burley said: “I believe a club like for example West Ham, a team just sitting around [the European places]. It is a step-down but it’s a step down to – I think – getting regular game time, whether that’s in England or Spain or Germany or wherever.”
Hislop added: “That step down to another club, a smaller club, Craig mentions my former club West Ham, which I think would be a great fit for him, it might be exactly what he needs, if he wants to start and start regularly.”
A recent report has claimed that Graham Potter would be willing to let the winger go for as little as £24m in January and considering his impressive performances for the USA at the World Cup in Qatar, that could prove to be a bargain.
In four appearances for Gregg Berhalter’s side, the 24-year-old would contribute an impressive one goal and two assists, having a hand in every goal they scored before being knocked out by the Netherlands last week.
Former USA boss Jurgen Klinsmann was full of praise for the talismanic forward in the build-up to the World Cup earlier this year. He said:
“He has a lot of character and a lot of personality. What he went through, starting at 17, is just wonderful. It’s wonderful and he’s still by far not there yet. He’s just able to get better and he will become even more of a leader.”
Pulisic’s 7.07 average rating from WhoScored comfortably ranked him as the USA’s top performer in Qatar, so it would not be a surprise to see a number of Premier League sides register their interest in him in January if he is still considered surplus to requirements in Potter’s squad.
Should West Ham win the race for him next month, he could potentially emulate the performances of Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford.
According to FBref, the 25-year-old winger, who has notched three goals for Gareth Southgate’s side at the World Cup, is the most similar player to Pulisic when compared to other wingers across Europe’s top leagues.
This season has seen the two wide men register extremely similar statistics with regard to goals per shot on target (0.33 vs 0.31), key passes (nine vs 10) and goal-creating actions (both two).
Considering that Rashford has looked rejuvenated at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag this season, with four goals and two assists to his name, Moyes would surely love to have a similar player in his side, especially as Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahama continue to struggle.
Therefore, after showing what he can do in Qatar, head of recruitment Rob Newman should definitely look at bringing Pulisic to the London Stadium in next month’s window.
