Possible replacements for Andreas Christensen at Chelsea

Late last year, it seemed Antonio Rudiger was the out-of-contract centerback likeliest to leave Chelsea after the completion of this season, all while Andreas Christensen had agreed verbally to extend his contract with the Blues. Fast forward to March, Chelsea has not signed a new centerback, Rudiger now seems to be leaning toward staying and Christensen looks the likeliest to depart. The 25-year-old centerback has reportedly been in deep discussions with Barcelona.

While there have undoubtedly been criticisms of Christensen for not being consistent in his performances or not being capable of playing in a back-four formation as effectively as he does in a three-man back line, these are mere ways for rival fans (and some of the Blues’ own) to try and discredit Christensen. Truth be told, he has improved just as much as Rudiger has since Thomas Tuchel took over at Chelsea back in January of 2021.

Possible replacements for Andreas Christensen in Chelsea’s squad for next year

While Chelsea seems to be in a very strong position to sign Jules Kounde in the summer transfer window, he won’t be a replacement for Christensen. His profile is similar to that of either Rudiger or another out-of-contract defender in Cesar Azpilicueta. Although defenders can be differentiated from each other in many different ways, the more simplistic and commonly used approach would be to classify them as either a sweeper or a stopper. This terminology differs across different countries and ideologies, but they are essentially universal terms.

Fundamentally, some defenders play on the front foot and aggressively while the others take a more conservative approach to defending. In other words, stoppers are more likely to step out of defense to chase down the ball and make tackles; sweepers are more likely to rely on their clever reading of the game to sweep up behind their more aggressive partners. For example, in the way Chelsea lines up more often than not, Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr, Azpilicueta and Rudiger are given the freedom to chase down opposing attackers to try and win the ball. On the other hand, Thiago Silva and Christensen are responsible for screening the space left behind the stoppers.  All of this is backed by statistics as Silva ranks makes 1.92 interceptions and 1.86 blocks per 90 minutes and Christensen makes 2.70 interceptions and 1.62 blocks per 90 minutes.

Overall though, how is one to differentiate between stoppers and sweepers? The easiest way to classify defenders as sweepers and stoppers is by looking at their defensive actions. Players who make more tackles and engage in more pressures are stoppers. Players who make more interceptions and blocks are sweepers. While not all defenders need to be either a stopper or a sweeper, all centerbacks tend to lean toward either of the two juxtaposed styles.

Now that we have defined the defending style of the Blues’ possible replacements, we need to define the roles and responsibilities of these players. Both Silva and Christensen are great passers of the ball and they can break the lines of pressure or find a teammate with a long pass. This means the players on the list should have a decent progressive passing ability and they should be able to carry the ball into midfield to draw out opponents to create space for teammates.

In this article, we shall put our talent-eyeing glasses on, channel our inner scouts and search for the best replacements for Christensen at Chelsea.