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ESPN pundit claims £20m star has now become a leader after hiding at Chelsea

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Some players who have left Chelsea recently are really thriving now that they are away from Stamford Bridge.

The above includes the likes of Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz, who have both done extremely well at AC Milan and Arsenal respectively.

Pulisic has made a great start to this season, scoring seven goals in 11 appearances. His latest came in Milan’s 3-1 win against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday. Pulisic was able to score directly from a corner.

Havertz can also be satisfied with his form after netting six times in 12 outings for Arsenal.

AC Milan v Club Brugge KV - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3
Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Herculez Gomez on Christian Pulisic’s transformation at AC Milan

Former USA international Herculez Gomez believes Pulisic has grown into a leader at Milan, something he did not see during his Chelsea days.

Discussing the winger on ESPN FC, he said: “We’re starting to see Christian Pulisic come out of his shell, and I’m not talking about confidence. I’m talking about leadership. You actually want to see him involved, he wants to get involved, he wants to be that guy. I didn’t see that at Chelsea.

“At times, he would kind of hide, he would kind of shy away from the responsibility. He welcomes it now; he relishes it with AC Milan.”

Gomez is keen for Pulisic to remain at Milan after the £20m attacker was linked with a move to Liverpool.

Chelsea’s current leaders

Chelsea have quite a young squad, so they do not have too many experienced commanders in their ranks.

Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo have both taken up the captain’s armband this season, so Enzo Maresca must see some leadership qualities in them.

Maresca has also described Tosin Adarabioyo as a leader. The central defender is 27, making him one of the more experienced members of Maresca’s squad.

Finally, there is captain Reece James, so the right-back and the above names are the men Maresca has handed responsibility to.

Chelsea could probably do with a bit more experience and leadership in their squad, especially if they want to challenge for the Premier League title in the near future.

Manchester City’s Ruben Dias has been linked to Chelsea and would definitely bring those things to Stamford Bridge. Whether the Blues can convince the Portuguese to join them and City to sell is another story.

At present, Chelsea are not even a Champions League team, while Dias remains an important player for City, captaining them on a couple of occasions this season.