Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has dismissed rumours he could quit Stamford Bridge this summer.
The United States international has found himself in and out of the side under Thomas Tuchel and admitted he was “very frustrated” not to start against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg earlier this month, giving rise to speculation he could seek a move this summer.
However, Pulisic says he isn’t going anywhere and is “up for the challenge” of proving himself in west London.
When asked whether he saw his long-term future at Chelsea, Pulisic told ESPN: “Yeah, I’m obviously happy here. It has been an incredible two years.
“People have always doubted and said: ‘Oh, he’s not playing, does he want to go here, does he want to go there?’ I’m always up for a challenge, I love competing, I love the position I’m in and I’m enjoying my time here.”
Pulisic can win the first trophy of his Chelsea career when the Blues take on Leicester in the FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday, with the Champions League final against Manchester City to come later this month.
Tuchel’s side go into the Leicester game on the back of a midweek Premier League defeat to Arsenal that checked their top-four ambitions, though Pulisic hopes the result can inspire a positive response.
“Maybe it is something that we need – we are that much hungrier, that much more looking forward to the game tomorrow,” he added.
“We know what Leicester is all about. They are going to battle, they are a tough team. They’ve done extremely well in the league this year. We know about their attacking ability and some of the players they have.
“So we expect them to come and battle. We are going to give it everything, and hopefully if we play the way we do and we match their intensity, I think we can beat them.”
Though he has been a regular in Tuchel’s matchday squad, Pulisic has started just 11 of 26 games in all competitions since the German’s arrival at the end of January.
His public grumblings after the Real Madrid game hinted that he may consider his future, but these latest comments suggest the former Borussia Dortmund player is ready to fight for his place.
Despite not being a regular starter he could end the season with two major trophies and if Chelsea can carry their impressive recent form into next campaign a Premier League title challenge is not an unrealistic prospect, giving Pulisic further motivation to remain at Stamford Bridge.
