“I remember Salah at Chelsea. I remember De Bruyne at Chelsea. They weren’t good enough, apparently, so they went abroad, found their confidence, and came back to destroy the league. This is happening again, and Arsenal are the ones who will benefit.” A shocking tip has just emerged that Mikel Arteta is ready to sign the ‘forgotten’ Chelsea star who has been officially dubbed the ‘Next Mohamed Salah’! 🤯🔴🔥

The "Next Salah" Prophecy: Arteta Poised to Plunder Chelsea's Reject to Complete Arsenal's Jigsaw

By admin On Feb 18, 2026

The ghosts of Chelsea’s transfer mistakes have haunted the Premier League for over a decade. Mohamed Salah. Kevin De Bruyne. Two players deemed not good enough for Stamford Bridge who departed, rebuilt, and returned to **destroy the league** from rival clubs. Now, history is poised to repeat itself—and Arsenal are positioned to be the beneficiaries.

**”I remember Salah at Chelsea. I remember De Bruyne at Chelsea. They weren’t good enough, apparently, so they went abroad, found their confidence, and came back to destroy the league. This is happening again, and Arsenal are the ones who will benefit.”**

This chilling tip, now circulating through football’s inner circles, points to a “forgotten” Chelsea star who has been reborn abroad and is ready for a Premier League resurrection. The player? Christian Pulisic. And the comparison being drawn is to two of the greatest players in Premier League history.

## The Howard Verdict: A “Very High Class” Comparison

The source of this explosive prediction is none other than Tim Howard, the former Manchester United and Everton goalkeeper who now watches the game with the analytical eye of a veteran. Speaking on the *Unfiltered Soccer* podcast, Howard did not hold back .

**”I’m going to put him in a very high class here,”** Howard declared. **”De Bruyne and Salah, we now know the finished products. When I say those names, people are going to go, ‘Huh? Those are two of the greatest players in Premier League history’, but I remember Kevin De Bruyne at Chelsea, I remember Mohamed Salah at Chelsea.”**

Howard’s thesis is elegantly simple. Both Salah and De Bruyne arrived at Chelsea as promising but unrefined talents. Both were cast aside, deemed surplus to requirements at a club that failed to see their potential. Both went abroad—Salah to Roma, De Bruyne to Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg—where they **”gained confidence, did all those things, they came back to the Premier League and then it was game over, history was written”** .

Pulisic, Howard argues, is following the identical trajectory.

## The Pulisic Renaissance: From Chelsea Cast-off to Milan Maestro

Christian Pulisic’s Chelsea career was a study in frustration. Signed for £58m from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, the American showed flashes of brilliance—most notably during Project Restart in 2020—but never achieved consistency. Four years, six different managers, and a constant battle with injuries later, he was sold to AC Milan at a significant loss .

In Italy, everything changed.

Now 27, Pulisic has undergone a **total rebirth**. This season alone, he has registered **eight goals and two assists in 17 Serie A appearances**, showcasing the pace, dribbling, and finishing that once made him one of the world’s most exciting young prospects . More importantly, he has become the focal point of a Milan side challenging for the Scudetto.

**”He’s put AC Milan on his back and he’s been the best player in that league,”** Howard observed. **”So now I think, from the physical, football maturity side, he now comes back to the Premier League, and he gets slotted into a Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, I think there’s actually another level for him”** .

## The Arsenal Connection: Why the Emirates is the Perfect Stage

Howard specifically identifies Arsenal as one of the clubs where Pulisic could thrive. His reasoning cuts to the heart of what makes Mikel Arteta’s project so compelling:

**”If I look at Liverpool and I look at Arsenal, the jury is out on Manchester United… these are well-grooved teams, they really are. They’re well run, they’re well-grooved, they’re playing well. So if they’re buying him and paying a decent fee for him then they have a plan for him. It’s not part of an experiment”** .

Arsenal’s system under Arteta is precisely the kind of structured, coherent environment that could unlock Pulisic’s best qualities. The Gunners play with positional discipline, creative freedom for their wide attackers, and a clear identity that allows players to understand their roles instinctively. For a player like Pulisic—technically gifted, tactically intelligent, but sometimes lost in chaotic environments—this is the ideal landing spot.

## The Salah/De Bruyne Blueprint: Why History Matters

The parallels between Pulisic’s situation and those of Salah and De Bruyne are striking enough to demand attention:

All three left Chelsea in their early-to-mid twenties. All three found the right environment abroad to develop confidence and consistency. All three returned to England as **finished products**, ready to dominate.

**”Salah went to Roma and De Bruyne went to Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg,”** Howard recalled. **”They were the players that they were, they gained confidence, they did all those things, they came back to the Premier League and then it was game over, history was written”** .

## What Pulisic Would Bring to Arsenal

If Arsenal complete this move, they would be acquiring a player entering his peak years with:

– **Premier League experience**: 98 appearances, 20 goals, 9 assists—a foundation to build upon
– **Serie A refinement**: Tactical discipline and defensive awareness honed in Italy’s most demanding league
– **Versatility**: Capable of playing across the front line, comfortable on either wing or as a creative second striker
– **Proven quality**: Currently performing at a level that justifies the “world-class” trajectory

For a squad already blessed with Bukayo Saka’s brilliance and Gabriel Martinelli’s explosive potential, adding a revitalised Pulisic would create **genuine depth**—the kind that sustains title challenges through injuries and fixture congestion.

## The “Forgotten” Factor: Why This Makes Sense

Pulisic has become the “forgotten” Chelsea star precisely because his departure was quiet and his rehabilitation occurred away from English attention. But that forgetfulness is Arsenal’s opportunity. The market for a player of his calibre, given his form at Milan, would typically be prohibitive. Yet because the Premier League’s collective memory has moved on, there may be a **value opportunity**—a chance to acquire a player performing at elite levels for a fraction of his true worth.

Howard frames it as a question of mentality:

**”If he’s really saying, ‘I’ve been to the Premier League, I’ve tasted what it’s like at the top at a big club like Chelsea, I want more of that, I’ve got something to prove here’… I don’t know his mentality but I think he does [think like that]”** .

A player with something to prove, entering his prime, with the technical foundation to succeed and the experience of failure to drive him—that is precisely the profile that transformed Salah and De Bruyne into legends.

## The Arteta Factor

Mikel Arteta has demonstrated a particular genius for **rehabilitation projects**. He transformed Granit Xhaka from a player wanted by fans to leave into a leader. He resurrected Kai Havertz’s career after Chelsea. He extracted career-best seasons from players many had written off.

Pulisic would be the ultimate test of this skill. A player with the talent but not the trajectory, the pedigree but not the consistency, arriving at a club built on structure and belief. If Arteta can do for Pulisic what Klopp did for Salah, Arsenal would have one of the signings of the decade.

## The Chelsea Irony

The cruelest aspect of this potential move is the identity of the seller. Chelsea, having already watched Salah and De Bruyne conquer English football from rival clubs, now face the prospect of a third former player doing the same—and this time, Arsenal would be the beneficiaries.

The Blues’ recruitment model under the current ownership has prioritised young talent and long-term potential, but the ghosts of past mistakes continue to haunt them. Pulisic’s revival at Milan is another reminder that the problem at Chelsea was never solely the players—it was the **environment, the instability, the lack of coherent planning**.

## The Summer Ahead

As the 2026 summer window approaches, Arsenal’s intentions will become clearer. A move for Pulisic would signal that Arteta believes his squad is one piece away from genuine, sustained contention. It would be a statement of intent: we are not just building for the future; we are winning now.

For Pulisic, the opportunity is irresistible. A return to the Premier League, not as the promising youngster who couldn’t quite deliver, but as the **finished product, the proven performer, the player with a point to prove**. Arsenal, with their structure, their belief, and their trajectory, offer the perfect stage.

Salah went to Roma. De Bruyne went to Wolfsburg. They came back and destroyed the league.

Pulisic went to Milan. Now he’s coming home.

And Arsenal are ready to write the next chapter of football’s greatest redemption story. 🤯🔴🔥⚡

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