Once part of the Chelsea loan machine, 25-year-old Danish centre-back Andreas Christensen went from an uncertain future to choosing between the last Champions League winner and FC Barcelona. A free agent this summer, it appears he’s made up his mind.
Christensen began his career with Bröndby before being courted by Chelsea to join their U-18s, where he won the UEFA Youth League. Appearances for Chelsea’s first team were hard to come by for the then 18-year-old, so he headed out to Borussia Monchengladbach for two seasons to refine his skills. After impressing in the Bundesliga, he returned to London where he’s made 153 appearances for Chelsea.
For Culers who may not be as familiar with him, that trajectory is one of a talent who has consistently competed for his spot in high pressure situations and has come out the other side as a polished professional entering his prime.
Even this season there are fears that Christensen hasn’t established himself as the every game starter, but it’s a reminder that teams that play across all competitions need depth. He’s had to compete with Thiago Silva (age remind you of Gerard Pique?), Antonio Rüdiger (dependability remind you of Ronald Araujo?), and rising talent Trevor Chalobah (career level remind you of Eric Garcia?).
He’s still been a regular starter under Thomas Tuchel, playing 47% of all available EPL minutes, 83% of all Champions League minutes, 86% of Club World Cup minutes, and 35% of FA Cup minutes. That’s what proper rotation looks like, though centre-backs often need less rotating than their forward and midfielder counterparts.
As for what he’ll bring to Catalonia, Christensen profiles as a defender that anticipates well and makes very good if not great decisions on the ball. Even his xA number, which helps determine your fingerprints on a goal when you don’t get the primary assist, indicates that he’ll be an upgrade to Garcia with quite a bit more defending.
Christensen does excel in a three at the back formation, a system employed by both Chelsea and the Danish national team, but nothing in his past indicates that he won’t succeed next to Araujo in a centre-back pair. Like any transfer, there will be ups and downs, but on a free, the signing of Christensen could go a long way into making Pique’s transition into retirement a lot smoother.
Dan Hilton is an American journalist, broadcaster, and current Editor-in-Chief of BarcaBlog. Extensive work as a play-by-play broadcaster, producer behind the scenes, and quite average player in his younger years has given him a well-rounded and informative perspective on the sport. Alongside BarcaBlog founder Francesc, Dan started The Barcelona Podcast in 2017
