Christian Pulisic needs to escape Chelsea NOW! Stamford Bridge circus is only hurting USMNT star's career

Despite the pessimistic lens that many use to view Pulisic's time at Chelsea, the truth is that it's all been pretty good.

No American has reached the heights that Pulisic has with the Blues, who signed the winger from Borussia Dortmund in 2019. He's gone on to make 140 appearances, scoring 26 goals. At just 21, he became the youngest Chelsea player to score a Premier League hat-trick, although his most notable goal came in the semi-final win over Real Madrid during Chelsea's run to win the 2020-21 Champions League.

The Blues followed that up with UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup titles, while the Blues have also reached four domestic finals since Pulisic's arrival, though all four have ended in defeats.

Through that time, Pulisic has also blossomed even more on the international stage, helping the U.S. men's national team bounce back from the failures of the 2018 cycle before scoring a vital goal against Iran to fire the U.S. to the knockout rounds at the 2022 World Cup.

All in all, Pulisic has been something of a regular for Chelsea, despite bouncing in and out of the line up. He has been wildly unlucky at Chelsea, with several injuries having hindered his progress at key moments.

However, it would be fair to say that Pulisic's worst strokes of luck have come due to the Chelsea boardroom, which seems to make changes at the worst possible moments for the American star.

It all got off to a bad start, now that you look back on it.

Signed by Maurizio Sarri in January 2019, Pulisic would finish the season on loan at Borussia Dortmund before joining Chelsea in the summer. However, by the time he arrived, Sarri was gone, replaced by Frank Lampard.

Sarri became Lampard, and then Lampard became Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel, inevitably, became Potter and here we sit. Four managers in four years, each of whom has provided Pulisic with challenges to overcome.

Sarri never even managed Pulisic, so we can skip right over him. Lampard, at least initially, was not impressed, with Jesse Marsch claiming that the ex-Chelsea midfielder was hesitant due to Pulisic's nationality.

Lampard did eventually warm to Pulisic, whose best season at Chelsea was his first, to be fair. But, just as Pulisic got going, Lampard was gone and replaced by Tuchel.

Tuchel, Pulisic's former boss at Borussia Dortmund, led Chelsea to new heights and, more importantly, a Champions League. However, Pulisic never took off under the German as many expected. He always found himself on the periphery of Tuchel's plans, and was often asked to fill in in roles that were unfamiliar to him.

Under Potter, meanwhile, Pulisic played just 13 games, having been limited by an injury suffered in January against Manchester City. He returned in March, seemingly fit and ready to contribute but, by April 2, Potter was gone, too.

And so Pulisic begins the process again. A new manager to impress as part of a cycle that seemingly never ends.

The instability hasn't been limited to the managerial situation, either, but the squad as a whole.

Since Boehly's arrival, Chelsea have been playing a videogame with the unlimited money setting going on. The club has spent around £600 million ($750m), signing player after player to add to an already bloated squad.

To illustrate the point, here's a list of the forwards in the Chelsea squad that Pulisic is now competing with: Joao Felix, Kai Havertz, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, David Datro Fofana and Noni Madueke. All of those names for three spots. It just simply isn't going to work.

It isn't healthy, what's going on at Chelsea. It's too many players for too few spots. Pulisic is too good of a player to be left on the sidelines, and the same goes for the majority of those attacking options.

There's something to be said for having squad depth, sure, and competition is always good, but there's a difference between competition and insanity and, right now, the Chelsea squad is tilted towards the latter.

Having to go through this over and over again isn't normal. And having to compete with this many players all at once isn't either.

It's quite clear that Chelsea are committed to their shiny new toys, even if Felix's loan move from Atletico Madrid is not made permanent. The club is rebuilding, reshaping and retooling and, with that, Pulisic's spot is far from assured.

It would be one thing to start all over again under a new manager if Pulisic was seen as a regular starter. And while it remains to be seen who Chelsea bring in, there's little doubt that it will be someone who can help Pulisic in some way.

But this is a losing battle, no doubt about it. There's just too much chaos, too many hurdles. A player's career is short, too short to have to start over over and over again.

There's something to be said for players who stick it out and prove themselves, but Pulisic would be far from the first player to leave Chelsea's chaos and flourish, should that come to fruition.

It seems that Pulisic has reached the point that players like Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Fikayo Tomori reached before, ultimately, becoming champions elsewhere.

For months, rumors have swirled that Pulisic's time at Chelsea would be coming to an end, and it appears there will be no shortage of suitors.

Pulisic, whose contract expires after next season, has been linked to plenty of clubs. From Premier League giants Manchester United to Italian superclubs Juventus, AC Milan and Inter, several of the world's best are seemingly interested in the American star. Each of the club's listed would offer more stability than Chelsea, which really is saying something considering what those teams have been through.

There's also the possibility of taking a step down the ladder a bit to, say, a rising Newcastle team or, should they survive, Leeds United (States of America). Or maybe he heads back to Germany, where they surely remember the talent that made him a star at Dortmund.

Who knows where he ends up, but, to be honest, it'll likely be better for him than where he is right now. At 24, Pulisic is about to enter his prime as a player, and it looks like entering that prime somewhere other than Chelsea gives him the best chance of living up to his incredible potential.