The day has finally arrived when an American born player is one of the leading storylines heading into the new Premier League season. Chelsea winger and emerging superstar Christian Pulisic is one of the players to watch this upcoming season, says Arlo White, the lead PL play-by-play guy for NBC Sports Group.
Pulisic was arguably the best player in the league during the restart, as the extended time on pause gave him ample time to recover from an adductor injury. He responded by being Chelsea’s most efficient scorer and important attacking player, and now we’ll see what he can do with more talent around him.
Pulisic, who will now wear the iconic No. 10 for Chelsea this season, recovered faster than anyone expected from a hamstring injury suffered in the FA Cup final.
He’ll be available for selection on Monday night when Chelsea visits Brighton.
“When I also think about Project Restart, I think about the exciting reemergence of Christian Pulisic, and that excites me to see the level he was playing at for Chelsea,” White said on a media conference call previewing the upcoming season.
“He produced some moments that were genuinely breathtaking and his elevation into one of the league’s brightest players just continued.”
“He was magnificent, and hopefully he can keep that momentum going when he comes back from injury in a very exciting Chelsea side. I genuinely believe that this season is potentially one of the most exciting that we have ever covered.”
White, 47, is a Leicester native whose voice has now become synonymous with the game and the league in America, where NBC owns the broadcast rights.
He’s excited about Pulisic of course, but also several other storylines: Leeds United being back up in the Premier League, and all the talent and accomplishment among the league’s bosses.
“Look at the managers: Klopp, Bielsa, Ancelotti, Mourinho; the list is endless,” White added.
“Some of these guys are the best at what they do in the entire world and they see a lot of players being signed for good money by these clubs. The depth of quality in the Premier League I think this year is going to be incredible.”
Yes, you can count down the hours now until the season begins, with Arsenal visiting Fulham on Saturday afternoon. For Pulisic and Chelsea, the wait is of course until the end of the weekend, but you can read the team news for that match at this link and the CFC season preview here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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