Borussia Dortmund confirmed that Christian Pulisic will join Chelsea for €64M ($72.5M), with the U.S. int'l to be loaned back to the Bundesliga club until the end of the season, according to Ed Aarons of the London GUARDIAN. The 20-year-old, who moved to Germany as a teenager and has made more than 80 appearances for Dortmund, admitted in November that "he hoped to play in England having refused to sign an extension to his existing contract." Dortmund Sporting Dir Michael Zorc said, "It was always Christian's dream to play in the Premier League. That certainly has to do with his American background, and as a result we were unable to extend his contract." He becomes the most expensive American player in history, with Chelsea Dir Marina Granovskaia stating her delight to have signed "one of Europe's most sought-after young players" (GUARDIAN, 1/2).
ZERO TOLERANCE: In London, Matt Hughes reported Chelsea will take its own stewards to next week's English Football League Cup semifinal first leg against Tottenham at Wembley with instructions to "eject fans who sing antisemitic songs." The club is determined to "rid" its fanbase of supporters responsible for the chanting, "particularly those using the Y-word," and is "conscious that next week’s match could be a flashpoint as significant numbers of Tottenham fans use the word themselves on the grounds that they have reclaimed it." Chelsea has been liaising with Tottenham since the semifinal draw was made a fortnight ago and concluded that it needs to "beef up" its security operation for the fixture (LONDON TIMES, 1/2).
