Andreas Christensen’s father has issued Chelsea an ultimatum, insisting that his son will not be content with a place on the sidelines once he returns to London next term.
As per the Evening Standard, Sten Christensen has declared that his son will not be returning to Stamford Bridge next season to warm the bench and that the Blues’ current transfer window activity will have a major say in Andreas’s future at the end of the season.
Christensen has made 58 appearances over the course of his loan spell, and his father emphasized the importance of his son getting to play on his return. “As it is right now, he’ll be back at Chelsea again this summer. It is important to Andreas that he plays. He will not return just to sit on the bench.”
Nathan Ake was recently recalled from his loan spell at Bournemouth after a series of impressive performances and Kurt Zouma has officially returned from injury after nearly a year on the sidelines. So Chelsea have more options, which means Christensen has more competition.
Chelsea have also been linked with a number of defenders this season such as Kostas Manolas, Niklas Sule and Leonardo Bonucci. Needless to say, the arrival of any of these players would further pose a threat to the big Dane’s chances of getting regular first team action.
Regarding this, Sten made it clear that they would re-evaluate their options depending on Chelsea’s transfer activity. “This transfer window will determine how Andreas’ situation will look in the summer. If Chelsea buy 10 centre-backs, it may well be that we need to do something else.”
However, Christensen has no shortage of suitors. His rise to prominence at Borussia Park over the course the past year and a half has not gone unnoticed by Europe’s elite. Most notably, Barcelona and Juventus have both been reported to be interested in the Danish international.
Gladbach themselves have tried to sign the 20-year-old on a permanent basis, but their approach was rejected outright by Chelsea. In turn, the Blues had tried to cut Christensen’s 2-year-loan deal short, but they too were bound by the terms of the agreement and Die Fohlen flatly refused.
Chelsea have a notorious record of letting promising young talent leave and not giving them enough opportunities to prove themselves. However, the Danish International has been one of the few success stories to emerge from the Blues’ infamous loan army and he is also vastly experienced for his age.
He is easily one of the best young center-backs in the world and if the majority of the Blues faithful have their way, Christensen, Zouma and Ake would one day establish themselves as Conte’s primary defensive personnel in the not-so-distant future.
With legends John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic edging closer to an exit and the Blues likely to participate in more competitions next term, Christensen is sure to have enough chances to prove himself and establish himself in the first team squad, and that dream may yet become a reality.
