Over the last few weeks, Chelsea have been in a state of disarray. The ongoing situation with Russia has meant owner Roman Abramovic has had to put the club up for sale, but his sanctioning has led to all assets being frozen, meaning Thomas Tuchel can’t sign any new players, or renew any contracts. It means a mass exodus is likely at Stamford Bridge this summer, with a plethora of talent available on a free, particularly at the back.
Indeed, the likes of Antonio Rüdiger and César Azpilicueta are free to talk to clubs when their contract runs out at the end of June, as it does for academy graduate Andreas Christensen. The 25-year-old has found gametime hard to come by this season, especially in the early parts of the campaign where Chelsea were heavily tipped as favourites for the Premier League according to the Betdaq exchange.
Having been in west London since 2012 — with a two-year loan spell at Borussia Mönchengladbach between 2015 and 2017 — the Dane looks set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, but even with Tuchel trying to plea with Christensen to stay, we see him donning new colours at the start of next season.
“There is no need to go now because he is right at the edge to finally take the next one, two, three steps at Chelsea,” the manager said. “I don’t think he is done here.
“That is why I strongly recommended him not to go before it is done. And it is clearly not done. He now has a situation given the formation, given the partners at his side, given his status, given his age: this is his moment. And I cannot understand if he leaves exactly at this moment.”
While he would garner greater responsibility at Stamford Bridge next season, especially if Rüdiger and Azpilicueta do leave, and Thiago Silva approaches 38, it’s hard to see a situation where Chelsea can be allowed to extend his contract. If they can manage to reach an agreement with the government that allows them to conduct business as usual, without signing any new players, then you get the feeling the Dane’s contract would definitely be one of the club’s top priorities. He’s still a few years away from his prime, but an athletic, ball-playing centre half is certainly hard to find in today’s market, and Christensen would certainly command a high price tag if he was to have longer on his deal.
With the likes of Bayern Munich losing Niklas Süle to Borussia Dortmund, and Real Madrid still not fully astute since losing Raphaël Varane and Sergio Ramos last summer, Christensen will hardly be short of suitors, but Tuchel believes the defenders legacy at Stamford Bridge is yet to be complete.
“For Andreas we have unbelievably much to offer.” He said. “It is the club where he came through the academy and I think he has a lot, also, to appreciate where he is right now. He profited a lot from the support, the structure. Now is the crucial moment to step up and be a huge player with this history.”
Christensen is a defender that’s already achieved so much in a short space of time. Having won the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup all within the past 12 months, albeit losing two domestic finals in that time as well, you wonder if he sees his future in the capital in search of that elusive Premier League title, or whether there’s a new chapter to be written in new colours.
