Milan are ready to welcome Christian Pulisic from Chelsea, adding an intriguing forward to Stefano Pioli’s frontline.
The 24-year-old American winger is joining the Rossoneri in a deal worth around €22m total, ready to sign a four-year contract. He is expected to wear the number 11 shirt.
The arrival of Pulisic gives Pioli more options up front. His tactical flexibility and experience mean he’s able to play on the right and in the centre, as well as his natural role on the left wing.
So, how will Pulisic be deployed at Milan?
Last season, Pioli mostly lined Milan up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, using a sole striker like Olivier Giroud in front of an attacking three – Rafael Leao on the left, Brahim Diaz or Charles De Ketelaere in the centre and Junior Messias or Alexis Saelemaekers on the right.
The expectation is that the Rossoneri coach will make some changes for the coming campaign. Diaz has returned to Real Madrid and De Ketelaere is clearly not ready to be a regular starter, leaving a lack of a reliable number 10, so the 4-2-3-1 is expected to be replaced by a 4-3-3 system.
A 4-3-3 system would suit Pulisic very well. The American winger could comfortably start on the right side of the front three, adding another layer to Milan’s attack, which was often extremely lopsided due to Leao and Theo Hernandez’s work on the left side of the pitch.
His strong passing and dribbling play mean he’d be in his element in this position, able to take on defenders before playing the ball in a more central channel. Giroud is the main target here, so it’s not hard to see why the club are also looking to pick up a new striker, like Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun.
Should Pioli decide to switch back to a 4-2-3-1 system, Pulisic would still be able to start on the right side of the attacking three, but he’d also be able to play behind the centre forward, adding more depth and rotation options to the squad.
The American winger’s ability to easily replace Leao on the left takes some of the pressure off the Portuguese star, giving him some reliable backup with a different style. This helps combat Milan’s overreliance on Leao, something that became apparent in the course of last season.
Finally, Pulisic’s tactical flexibility across the frontline makes it so he wouldn’t be left on the sidelines should Pioli decide to tinker with his system across the campaign, something seen last season when he experimented with a 3-4-2-1 formation.