Man Utd should be insulted by Chelsea's Pulisic transfer stance
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 18 Aug 2022 12:42 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United have not needed reminders of where they stand in the Premier League pecking order after losing their first two matches of the season, but perhaps the starkest is that Chelsea are willing to loan them Christian Pulisic.
The Red Devils have taken a battering this summer. From failing to land their major transfer targets to losing 4-0 against Brentford, it has been a baptism of fire for new manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
But as they scramble to complete deals that will strengthen their team for the season ahead, Chelsea’s stance on Pulisic is alarming.
In essence, it shows how far behind them Chelsea believe Man Utd to be.
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Thomas Tuchel’s side will be realistically targeting another top-four finish this season. They probably feel they are too far being Manchester City and perhaps even Liverpool to win the league, but they will expect to be in a pack of clubs chasing the Champions League spots.
With Arsenal and Tottenham having improved over the summer transfer window, it promises to be a competitive race.
If Chelsea genuinely felt that giving Pulisic to Manchester United added another competitor to the chase for those all-important positions, they surely would not allow the USMNT captain to depart for Old Trafford so freely.
Instead, it seems that they believe that Ten Hag’s outfit are so far behind them that by allowing the 23-year-old to move to Old Trafford it will not make them a threat to finish in the top four.
By loaning Pulisic to Man Utd for a year, Chelsea are effectively telling the Red Devils that they don’t believe they’re good enough to challenge them at the top end of the table, which is exactly where Ten Hag and his team believe they should be aiming.
