Andreas Christensen’s father weighs in on his son’s future at Chelsea
By George Perry
Borussia Monchengladbach are accepting the reality that Chelsea will not sell them Andreas Christensen. Christensen’s father is already planning for his son’s return, and laying out his expectations.
Chelsea loaned Andreas Christensen to Borussia Monchengladbach at the beginning of the 2015/16 season. After a stellar first year, the Bundesliga side made a series of overtures to convert the loan into a permanent transfer. When Chelsea rebuffed those openings, Monchengladbach director Max Eberl descended into desperation and mused about extending the loan one or two more years.
Eberl appears to be coming to terms with the reality that Chelsea will neither sell nor extend Christensen’s loan. Monchengladbach recently purchased Timothee Kolodziejczak from Sevilla. Eberl laid it out forthrightly: “Kolo is a small indicator that Andreas does not stay.”
Now that Christensen’s return to Chelsea is all but assured, the next question is what will become of the highly-rated prospect once he arrives. Andreas’ father spoke about his son’s future at Stamford Bridge.
"As it is right now, he’s at Chelsea again this summer. It is important for Andreas that he plays. He will not return to Chelsea and sit on the bench. It is the transfer window which determines how Andreas’ situation becomes in the summer. If Chelsea buy ten central defenders, it may well be that we need to do something else. – Sport Witness"
The Christensen family is probably struggling to determine if Chelsea’s recent recall of Nathan Ake is a good thing or a bad thing for young Andreas. On the one hand, Ake’s return demonstrates Antonio Conte’s determination to promote from within. Christensen’s odds improve greatly if Conte favors the loan army over the transfer market to meet his needs.
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On the other, Ake’s early return gives him a head start on learning Antonio Conte’s system and proving his worth. Ake’s performance in the second half of the season may give him a leg up on Christensen. Ake could displace Gary Cahill from Chelsea’s lineup and makes the position his own. This would leave Christensen to battle David Luiz, Kurt Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta to earn his place.
Christensen’s father notes that Chelsea wanted Andreas to return earlier but the contract was strictly for two years. Chelsea recalled Nathan Ake by exercising a very precise clause written into his loan deal to Bournemouth. Christensen’s contract had no such out, and Monchengladbach was not willing to modify the terms. Given Christensen’s value to the club and Eberl’s already prickly relationship with Chelsea, any such modification likely would have cost Chelsea at least as much as Christensen’s fair-market transfer fee.
It is an interesting question: If Chelsea had the option to recall both Christensen and Ake during the current transfer window, which would they have chosen? Christensen missed a string of games with a gluteal injury earlier this season. However, he still has over 400 more playing minutes than Ake this season and significantly better defensive statistics.
Ake, though, has been a much more important part of his loan club recently. He is also playing his second year of Premier League football, having spent last season on loan at Watford. Ake may be able to enter Chelsea’s starting XI more quickly than Christensen could given his familiarity with the teams and style of play he will be facing with the Blues.
The battle to earn Antonio Conte’s trust at centre-back will be one of the top things to watch during next summer’s pre-season camp. Ake, Christensen and Zouma will someday be Chelsea’s back-line. That could happen as early as next year, most likely in the domestic cups.
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Nathan Ake’s recall on the heels of Antonio Conte saying that Chelsea is not in the market for a centre-back bodes well for Andreas Christensen. As long as he and his father recognizes that he will have to fight for his place in the lineup, he has everything it takes to be another loan army success story.