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.
Matthijs de Ligt
The real dream scenario for Chelsea would be if Christensen decided to sign a contract extension and stay at Stamford Bridge beyond this season, but the chances of that happening now look bleak. Although, having a generational talent like Matthijs de Ligt to replace him in the squad would not be a bad way for things to turn out either.
The Blues have been linked with de Ligt since last summer and if the reports are true, an incoming bid could be on the cards in the summer. There is this myth around de Ligt that he has been poor ever since he joined Juventus. However, that is simply not true. After struggling initially in his first season in Italy, de Ligt has been immense for the Old Lady. Despite being in contention along with Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Merih Demiral and Daniele Rugani—all of whom have been great centerbacks for the majority of their careers—the Dutchman has amassed a lot of game time. He has routinely put up solid performances for the Turin-based club.
De Ligt is a more all-around defender and shows attributes of both stoppers and sweepers in his game. Although his numbers for pressures and tackles are quite low, which indicates his tendency to stay disciplined in defense. He is unlikely to hunt down, body and win the ball from opposing players quite as Rudiger does. He has made 1.37 interceptions and 1.69 blocks per 90 minutes. These statistics are not on par with Christensen and Silva, but show that de Ligt might be a great fit playing the role. His progressive passing stats are not very similar to Silva and Christensen either. However, he has experience playing at the heart of a very possession-driven Ajax side and could do better on the ball when put in this Chelsea side.
The department in which he shows exceptional ability is aerial duels. He wins 3.26 aerial duels per 90 minutes, indicating he is strong in the air and can also offer an indirect set-piece threat. De Ligt is also just 22 years of age. The young centerhalf still has a lot room to grow, as well as a plethora of experience. He is highly coachable considering his age and must have learned a lot from Bonucci and Chiellini during his time at Juventus. Coming to Chelsea and being an understudy to Silva before replacing him would be a great move for both he and the Blues..
Ethan Ampadu
Not too long ago, Ethan Ampadu looked like the player to follow in Callum Hudson-Odoi’s footsteps and break into the first team directly from the academy. However, things didn’t fall right into place for the defender and he has become a part of the infamous loan army, currently on loan at the newly promoted Serie A side Venezia.
The only reason he did not quite nail down his place in the squads under three different managers is that he did not have a particular position. He was often seen as a utility player by Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri. The now-21-year-old played as a centerback, defensive midfielder and central midfielder under their respective reigns. A similar pattern could be seen during his loan spells at RB Leipzig, Sheffield United and Venezia. However, as Christensen leaves Chelsea, Tuchel might finally have a position for the Welsh international.
While he has played more minutes in midfield for Venezia, he has filled in as a centerback when required. Ampadu has 2.39 interceptions, 2.39 blocks, and 2.73 tackles per 90 minutes. These statistics could be slightly skewed in his favor because of his minutes playing in midfield, but even then, these numbers are simply brilliant. As per a few sources, Tuchel has followed Ampadu’s progress at Venezia this season closely. When he returns to Cobham, Ampadu could pull off a Chalobah-esque move and finally break into the first team while no one is looking. Ampadu could also save Chelsea some money that the Blues could eventually invest elsewhere.
Pau Torres
The acquisition of Pau Torres would be an expensive one, but unlike de Ligt, the Blues at least have a price tag to match. Torres plays in La Liga and therefore, he has a €50 million release clause that can be triggered by Chelsea this summer. Torres is an exceptional player whose name does not come up as often as it should.
This season, Villarreal has kept 11 clean sheets in the league, conceding just 25 goals. This means Torres is a part of a defense that ranks third for both clean sheets and the fewest goals conceded in La Liga this season. He has made 1.64 interceptions and 1.29 blocks per 90 minutes in the league this season, as well. While these numbers are low when compared to those of Silva, it might be because he has to make a lot fewer defensive actions. After all, his team keeps a lot of the possession. Apart from this, he is a great ball-carrier, as well as a superb passer as of the ball. Torres has accumulated 4.29 progressive passes and 4.75 progressive carries per 90 minutes. This makes him a very similar type of a player to Silva. He is also left-footed and could partner with Rudiger in a back four to form a right and left-footed, sweeper-stopper partnership.
Furthermore, the 25-year-old is also one of the more experienced and older names on this list. He could replace Christensen directly into the starting line-up. Another very interesting statistic about Torres is he has been awarded 23 successful offside traps in La Liga. Often times, players that play as the more disciplined centerback disable the entire offside trap set-up by their teammates by taking up deeper positions, that is why such players are quite rare. After all, the player with the most successful offside traps in the Premier League is named Virgil van Dijk, and he’s quite good.
Nikola Milenkovic
Fiorentina has produced some world class talent over the last few years. Federico Chiesa, Dusan Vlahovic and now Nikola Milenkovic. Milenkovic stands 6-foot-5 (195 cm) tall and he has the kind of strong frame that can be very intimidating in a defender. While Fiorentina does not have the best defensive record, Milenkovic has caught the eye of teams across Europe for his defensive displays. He makes 2.06 interceptions and 1.37 blocks per 90 minutes. He has also mastered the art of winning aerial duels, winning 3.44 aerials per 90 minutes.
Milenkovic has also 2.81 progressive passes and 2.65 progressive carries per 90 minutes. He has both the physical and technical tools to cope with the challenges in the Premier League. At 24 years old and enough experience in the Serie A, Milenkovic could be an automatic starter, as well as a long-term signing to anchor the Chelsea defence for years to come.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
The reason this duo has been dubbed ‘the wildcards’ is because in this section, we can have a more creative outlook. Further, we can explore possibilities that are a little more farfetched, but not entirely impossible. It makes us look at ideas while keeping an open mind that might otherwise sound ridiculous.
Many fans were left puzzled after seeing Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the line-up in the midweek fixture against Luton Town . . . in defense. Most expected him to play in a midfield three, but the Englishman actually played centerback for a majority of the contest. Loftus-Cheek assisted a goal by putting in a beautiful ball over the Hatters’ back line to Timo Werner. Considering the circumstances, he played a good overall game. Loftus-Cheek went on to make two clearances, rack up 10 ball recoveries and he won five of six ground duels, as well as six of eight aerial duels.
Of course, this was all in an FA Cup game against a Championship side. Nevertheless, it gives rise to the idea of Loftus-Cheek actually switching positions. While Chelsea conceded two goals that game, there is not much Loftus-Cheek did to concede those goals. Just like Ampadu, Loftus-Cheek if played as a centerback, may save the Blues a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, especially since a new owner may be hesitant to spent a lot of money after acquiring the club.
Loftus-Cheek has played as a No. 6, No. 8, No. 10, left winger, striker and most recently, a centerback, and has never had a truly bad performance. This is because he is a natural footballer with a great understanding of the game, which enables him to play these positions without much trouble. Switching to centerback would be a difficult move, but who else to help him make the switch than one of the most complete defenders in world football for the past decade, Silva.
Who would you like to see replace Christensen within the Blues’ ranks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!