While Frank Lampard wasn’t the one who signed him, Lampard has quickly become enamored with what the young American offers to a side that has put its faith in youth. Chelsea were hit with a transfer ban ahead of this season that prevents them from signing any players until the 2020 summer transfer window, but that has only inspired them to tap into the recently unrivaled talent available in their youth ranks. Players like Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Reece James, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham have proven that you don’t need to spend heavily on the biggest names when you can promote from within. And while Pulisic’s signing flies in the face of this reasoning, his addition to the team represents an investment in youth the likes of which hasn’t been seen at Chelsea since the arrival of owner Roman Abramovich.

After a slow start to the season that saw him often feature as an impact sub, Pulisic made his first start since August and announced himself to the Premier League with a “perfect” hat trick against Burnley at Turf Moor. Since then, he has started the last eight matches, scoring six goals. Add to that an equal number of assists, and one can see why Lampard has made him one of the most consistent members of his starting XI. Among those who play regularly, the American ranks in the top six of Premier League players in expected goals per 90 minutes, according to analytics experts Statsbomb. The only winger who boasts more impressive numbers is Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling. That puts him ahead of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Jamie Vardy, Son Heung-Min and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Esteemed company, indeed.

But this really isn’t a departure from the stats he was showing at Borussia Dortmund, where he improved year over year in all departments. If anything, it’s simply proof that he’s capable of producing the kind of numbers he was signed for. Those who doubted that he could succeed in the Premier League have had to eat their words, but the native of Hershey, Pennsylvania, remains humble and determined to continue improving.