Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic sent transfer message by new USA manager
Incoming USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter has issued some advice to Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic amid speculation regarding their club futures this summer.
The American duo have enjoyed a successful international break as new teammates, with the country notching a second successive triumph in the Concacaf Nations League. As it stands, the USA is the only country to have won the tournament.
Pulisic and Balogun both played a big role, each getting on the scoresheet en route to the trophy. Balogun was making his first appearances for the USA during the international break having pledged his allegiance to the country of his birth.
Balogun earned himself a call-up to the senior squad following a breakout season on loan at Stade de Reims in Ligue 1. Under the tutelage of Will Still, the Gunners academy graduate scored some 21 times in the French top flight during his temporary stay on the continent.
By contrast, however, Pulisic had a season to forget at Stamford Bridge, featuring for just 811 minutes as the West London outfit finished in a lowly 13th place in Premier League. The Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup games which followed represented an opportunity for the 24-year-old to remind any potential suitors of his qualities.
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Heading into the games against Mexico and Canada, the pair had both been linked with switches away from their respective clubs but it was clear that the duo were focused on the job at hand for their national team during those clashes. In the semi-final versus Mexico, Pulisic scored twice in a man-of-the-match display, before Balogun grabbed his maiden goal for the Stars and Stripes in the final during a 2-0 win over Canada.
However, it is likely that reports linking the pair with moves away from their current employers will only ramp up after they returned from international duty. In the case of Balogun, Napoli and AC Milan have previously both been linked with a move for the 21-year-old forward, with Pulisic also purported attracting interest from Juventus.
Now returning USMNT coach Berhalter has offered his opinion on what the forwards should do this summer as speculation grows around potential moves. The 49-year-old, who coached the team at the World Cup in 2022, has told Gazzetta dello Sport that the chance of playing in the Champions League should prove an attractive proposition.
DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 29: head coach Gregg Berhalter of USA gestures during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between IR Iran and USA at Al Thumama Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Mohammad Karamali/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) (Mohammad Karamali/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)He said: “Christian plays for Chelsea but Italy and Milan are still very attractive destinations, not least because of the possibility of playing in the Champions League. But no advice, these are personal choices. The same goes for Balogun, who is already a certainty and not just a striker of the future as I hear people say. We’ll see…”
Also commenting on news that USMNT star Timothy Weah is expected to swap Lille for Juventus, he added: “I don’t know what stage the negotiations with Lille are at, I’m a coach, not a director but I would certainly see Weah doing well at Juventus. I’m sure that an experience in Italy and at Juventus, who we’ve come to know better and better in recent years thanks to McKennie, would be useful for Timothy.
"He is a growing boy, also thanks to Lille, but I think that facing the winning mentality of Juventus would allow him to make a further leap forward.”
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