Chelsea FC sent center-back prospect Andreas Christensen on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach last July. Freshly awash with cash, the Bundesliga side is preparing a permanent transfer offer.
Like so many other Chelsea youth prospects, Andreas Christensen is about to learn that “loan” is just Bluish slang for “prolonged exit plan”. Citing the German-language Bild, Daily Mail reports today that Borussia Monchengladbach have tendered a club-record offer of £15 million to make Christensen’s loan a permanent transfer.
Andreas Christensen came to Chelsea after spending most of his academy years at Brondby in his native Denmark. One of Andre Villas-Boas’ last signings in 2012, Christensen chose Chelsea over offers from Arsenal and Manchester City.
Christensen was a large part of the Blues’ 2013-14 titles in the FA Youth Cup and the Under-21 Premier League, and made three first team appearances in 2014/15. The club sent Christensen on loan to Borussia Monchengladbach last summer.
Gladbach have extra cash to spread around as well as a significant gap in the roster to fill after selling midfielder Granit Xhaka to Arsenal for £35 million earlier this month. Christensen and Xhaka were key factors in their fourth place finish in the Bundesliga. Arsenal’s payment for Xhaka left Monchengladbach with sufficient cash in hand to shore up their roster with new signings.
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Chelsea will likely insist on a buy-back clause as part of Christensen’s permanent transfer to Monchengladbach. The club may be adapting from the painful lesson it is currently learning in its pursuit of Romelu Lukaku from Everton. If Chelsea are successful in re-acquiring the Belgian striker, he will likely cost at least twice what the club sold him for in 2014.
Along with Jake Clarke-Salter, Andreas Christensen has long been viewed as one of John Terry’s successors as an academy graduate who becomes the club’s stalwart center-back. Christensen’s performance statistics for the 2015/16 campaign are nearly identical to Terry’s and Gary Cahill‘s.
| Player | League Appearances | Goals | Average Defensive Actions | % Duels Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andreas Christensen | 31 | 3 | 8 | 60 |
| John Terry | 24 | 1 | 6 | 59 |
| Gary Cahill | 23 | 2 | 8 | 60 |
Per Squawka.
Even if the permanent transfer does not come through, Christensen still has one more year left on his loan deal, ensuring that he will play in the Champions League with his foster club. Christensen and Monchengladbach will be closely watching Chelsea’s lineup, tactics and success in its first year under Antonio Conte.
The uncertainty around the club’s future will encourage Christensen’s ambitions with the Bundesliga side, if only to ensure continued runs into the Champions League.
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Chelsea’s willingness to part with Andreas Christensen is consistent with a long pattern of using the academy as a source of transfer fees rather than future starters. On paper, the club’s greatest challenge should be deciding which of its starters and prospects will form the core of the next decade of Chelsea’s defense.
Behind John Terry and Gary Cahill is the injured Kurt Zouma. Behind them are academy stars Jake Clarke-Salter and Fikayo Tomori. Christensen’s fellow academy graduate Tomas Kalas is on loan to Middlesbrough.
In reality, most of these young defenders have played their last game at Stamford Bridge. Christensen is more likely to follow in Kalas’s footsteps than John Terry’s. Kalas acknowledged recently that his featured role and extensive playing time at Middlesbrough has warmed him to the possibility of making his loan a permanent transfer.
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Chelsea’s lack of interest in developing its prospects into starters is enough to make a player want to stay in the SkyBet Championship. Unless results and priorities change significantly around Stamford Bridge, the Blues have little reason to think Andreas Christensen will be eager to leave a Bundesliga team primed for several years of Champions League football.