It was only a matter of time until news emerged that a member of Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea squad was unhappy with their limited game time under the German coach.
There were several potential candidates as to whom it could be. Emerson Palmieri has played just once under Tuchel. As has Billy Gilmour. Hakim Ziyech, meanwhile, has lost his place as a regular starter at Stamford Bridge. And Tammy Abraham hasn't featured in the previous three match-day squads in the Premier League.
But it is the man that Tuchel knows better than anyone at Chelsea who is reportedly frustrated. Step forward, Christian Pulisic.
According to the Daily Mail, the American is not enamored with the fact the only game he has started under Tuchel, who he worked under at Borussia Dortmund, has come in the FA Cup victory over Championship side Barnsley last month.
"I can say nothing else but good things about him," Tuchel said when asked about Pulisic's lack of minutes after Monday's victory against Everton.
"Maybe his biggest problem is that I know him from Dortmund and I think he started only in the cup game. It is my responsibility and it is a bit unfair but I know what impact he can have in the last 20 or 30 minutes.
"He was a bit unlucky in the last few games. It isn't a lack of trust or quality, it is just that he will have to be patient."
If Pulisic chooses not to be, few can blame him. He hasn't been able to replicate the form he displayed during last season's Project Restart fixtures but his talent is undeniable.
And if the USMNT star feels another club will make better use of it, then it's understandable as to why a summer switch may be attractive. Although whether a club would be able to convince the Blues to sell is another matter.
Chelsea have reportedly drawn up a contingency plan on the off-chance Pulisic does depart. And that is Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman.
The France international will have just two years left on his contract come the end of the current campaign and if a new deal can't be agreed, the Bundesliga giants may opt to cash in on the 24-year-old.
Manchester United and Manchester City are both supposedly admirers while Chelsea's interest in Coman is long-standing. He wouldn't come cheap, however.
There is also the more pertinent point as to whether Chelsea need to sign another attacker if Pulisic was to depart.
For argument's sake, let's say Tuchel continues next season with the 3-4-2-1 shape he has predominantly used since taking charge at Stamford Bridge.
In those two positions behind the central striker, the German could call on Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
And that's even before you get into whether Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Ross Barkley will be reintegrated into the senior set-up following their loan spells away from Chelsea this season.
It's Hudson-Odoi, however, who is our focus here. The 20-year-old has largely been deployed as a wing-back by Tuchel since his appointment. It's a role the academy graduate has adapted to impressively but one that is not natural to him.
His home is on the left of an attacking three and there was a timely reminder as to why on Monday night.
For only the second time under Tuchel, Hudson-Odoi started in the offensive line. He impressed. The England international played a key role in the Blues' opening goal of the evening and also teed up Havertz for what appeared to be Chelsea's second until VAR got involved.
Hudson-Odoi wasn't faultless against Everton but he was effective. Not all of those used in an attacking role by Tuchel in recent weeks can say the same – Ziyech and Pulisic have both struggled in their admittedly limited game time.
As he progressed through the Chelsea academy, expectation grew that Hudson-Odoi would become a star at Stamford Bridge.
It's why the club fought so hard to keep him out of the clutches of Bayern Munich throughout much of 2019, why they gave him a lucrative five-year contract at the age of 18 years old.
A nasty Achilles injury hampered his development last season while he spent much of the first half of the current campaign on the fringes under Frank Lampard.
Tuchel has placed greater trust in Hudson-Odoi than those who have come before him and the winger has stepped up to the challenge.
So if Pulisic does depart this summer, and that's a big if, Chelsea should take a leap of faith and back their own to step up rather than spend millions in the transfer market once again.
