Upon landing on Italian soil, Milan’s newest American import Christian Pulisic is afforded a fresh start on the pitch while providing major commercial upside off it for the club, writes Matt Santangelo.
Tension had boiled over very early in this summer window with the abrupt dismissal of Paolo Maldini and the subsequent shocking sale of fan favourite Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United. Shortly after the official announcement of the Italian international’s exit, the market seemingly shifted into gear, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek the first notable signing to walk through the doors of Milanello from Chelsea.
The London-based club have been a regular business partner of Milan over the years and the relationship could not be stronger, a key element which made CEO Giorgio Furlani’s courtship of American star Christian Pulisic quite feasible an operation to pull off.
With a year left on his contract and Todd Boehly aggressively downsizing to support Mauricio Pochettino’s rebuilding of Chelsea in his image, Pulisic’s desire for a restart, along with his will to pull on only the famous red and black, led to his now official transfer to the Italian giants for a reported €20m including add-ons. Despite his young age, the 24-year-old Pulisic brings with him experience in abundance, spending his formative years in Germany with Borussia Dortmund before his massive January 2019 move to Chelsea worth €64m.
In addition, he has long been the face of a very intriguing revolution of the USMNT, having already accrued a wealth of caps, goal contributions and silverware. Due to injuries, a revolving door with coaches and inconsistent play time, the UEFA Champions League winner’s foray into English football did not go according to plan.
However, between his sharp dribbling, positional versatility and creativity in the attacking third, only fitness could prevent Pulisic from reaching new heights. But there will be plenty of time to discuss his impact on a sporting level throughout the course of pre-season and then the upcoming campaign.
As with many signings in the modern game, they aren’t solely made on the basis of what can be produced on the pitch. Though this acquisition’s success or failure is contingent on both Pulisic’s availability and productivity, we would be remiss to ignore the commercial upside as holding a significant weight in the final decision to bring in ‘Captain America.’
Under Gerry Cardinale and RedBird Capital Partners, there is a clear vision to elevate the Milan brand off the pitch, leveraging its winning history and global footprint as a top footballing institution through several merchandising deals and partnerships with notable entities – including Off-White, New-Era and RocNation to name but a few.
As America’s premier footballing symbol, Pulisic brand deal with Puma is a match made in heaven from a marketing standpoint for Milan. Moments after his introductory press conference concluded, Pulisic shirts proved a hot commodity, selling out quickly across most retail websites and on backorder until mid-August. This speaks volumes about how popular of a player he is in the American market, and
could ultimately become in Italy if he thrives.
Pulisic’s impact is already being felt at Milan despite not having stepped on the pitch just yet.
According to sports and business content creator Joe Pompliano, the team store has seen a +266% increase in sales so far. American buyers represent 43% (up from 9%), and Pulisic jerseys represent 45% of all jerseys sold.
Labelled as ‘the Lebron James of Soccer’ in rather meme-worthy fashion all over social media off the back of this move, Pulisic does boast the profile in U.S. sports media as the best-ever talent produced stateside. The nickname is obviously wide of the mark as a direct comparison to the legendary basketball star, but there is no denying Pulisic’s appeal in the States. Perhaps fans can get the most out of Pulisic’s arrival through the supporter clubs across North America, where sponsored events and match day meetups will be flooded with plenty of Milanisti – new and old. Coast to coast, you can anticipate seeing a lot of No. 11 shirts.
Unlike the Americans to play at the club before him, like Oguchi Onyewu and Sergiño Dest, Pulisic is a main attraction, a talent with star power who already brings a lot of new eyeballs to Milan and the league on a weekly basis. If he sets San Siro alight on the pitch and emerges as a key man, Pulisic can alter the perception many have of American footballers in Europe as we know it. Should that happen, then the commercial upside here is endless.
Twitter: @Matt_Santangelo