Christian Pulisic Talks January Transfers, Chelsea Form After Brighton Draw

Chelsea's Christian Pulisic has said he would welcome the competition provided by January arrivals at Stamford Bridge.

At the start of the campaign, it was expected that Chelsea would not be able to bring in players mid-season after a breach of FIFA rules. However, a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport means the Blues are able to strengthen their squad should they wish.

Pulisic signed for Chelsea in the previous January window before making a move back to Borussia Dortmund on loan for the rest of the term. Speaking after the team's 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, the United States international said he'd welcome new additions, per Nizaar Kinsella of Goal.

"It is normal," he said. "Teams look to improve their team, and if players do come in, there is competition. That is how it goes. So we'll be ready for that, and hopefully we'll have players that come in and want to help us."

The Blues have had a strong campaign overall, although they have suffered some frustrating results lately. At Brighton, they conceded late on after Cesar Azpilicueta had given Frank Lampard's side an early lead:

Pulisic, who missed the win at Arsenal because of injury, started the match at the Amex Stadium and was substituted after 66 minutes.

He spoke of the recent up-and-down results from the team and said he expects to turn in better performances himself, per Kinsella: "I can do better as well. Just being more clinical in the final third, finding the right pass or shot and scoring the goals. After we scored the first goal, it was just about continuing and just not stopping there, making it two or three and putting the game to bed."

As football writer Daniel Storey relayed, despite some poor results, Chelsea have been able to preserve a sizeable gap to the sides seeking to hunt them down in fourth spot:

Simon Johnson of The Athletic commented on what was a challenging day for Chelsea players and Lampard:

Pulisic's own fortunes have been similar to Chelsea's, as he's turned in both brilliant and frustrating performances. He's scored six goals for the club already, although he's not netted or provided an assist in his last seven appearances.

Even so, there will be encouragement at Stamford Bridge with the ease with which Pulisic has settled into life at the club and in the Premier League as a whole. If the Blues can make a similarly effective January acquisition, they should coast to a fourth-place finish this term.