Latest updates on Chelsea’s out-of-contract centerbacks
2. Andreas Christensen
Azpilicueta is not the only Chelsea defender drawing interest from Spain. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are amongst the many clubs monitoring Andreas Christensen’s contract standoff with the Blues. The Dane’s situation has changed almost every day since the two sides began talks, which is enough to have any Chelsea supporter on edge. There was reportedly a verbal agreement on an extension toward the end of last season into the summer. As we know though, talk means very little in football. Nothing is finalized until the player pens his name on the dotted line. Now his renewal is in question.
The Telegraph’s Matt Law confirmed on the London Is Blue Podcast that the defender’s representatives are engaged in discussions with other European clubs, unlike the two other defenders in this piece. This is either a serious bluff from Christensen’s camp or he is actually preparing to leave SW6 after a decade with the Blues.
The reality of the situation is Christensen has largely failed to cement his place in the starting XI. His in-game replacement of Thiago Silva in the Champions League final symbolized what many thought to be a literal passing of the torch. The 25-year-old had been phenomenal all season long, including in the Brazilian’s absence, but he was on the outside looking in for the most part. This season was supposed to be the campaign in which he finally broke through and became a stalwart piece for the Blues at the back. Christensen has seemingly always hovered between the starting team and the bench. He has yet to make himself completely undroppable, despite playing for four different managers since returning from his loan to Borussia Monchengladbach in 2017.
The same goes for this season. Christensen has been fantastic when he has played, the other defenders have been just as good though. Silva has made himself absolutely necessary to the line-up. Unfortunately for the Dane, his contract situation has also contributed to his lack of appearances in recent months. Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr and Azpilicueta have been able to step in and play extremely well.
In a way, Christensen’s contract holdout has worked against him. It’s shown Tuchel and the club that although he is a fantastic young centerback, he is not as irreplaceable as his representatives tried to make him seem. It’s no secret that Christensen loves Chelsea and if he had things his way, he’d likely opt to stay and finish out his career in the English capital. That’s unfortunately not how these things work. Christensen’s camp contacting other clubs is a huge hint as to how this saga is going to end. The defender’s maturity and respect deserve some mention too. While he may leave in the end, it’s become abundantly clear he won’t join another English club. That is commendable.