As the 21/22 season comes to an end, so does Andreas Christensen’s contract with Chelsea. Since technically he has under six months left on his current contract, he is able to negotiate with other teams, besides the Blues.
One team that has been very interested was Barcelona, which has had their shares of financial struggles recently.
However, it was announced earlier today that Andreas Christensen has made up his mind and will be joining Barcelona this season, as reported by Fabrizio Romano
Though not official, Romano’s words are extremely credible. This verbal agreement seems like one that makes sense for all parties involved as well.
Chelsea had a plethera of central defenders such as: Azpilicueta, Rudiger (who is also on an expiring contract), Thiago Silva, Chalobah, and Sarr. Losing Christensen does hurt their depth, however the blues should be able to sustain this loss.
Barcelona signing Christensen on a free means that they would not have to pay Chelsea a transfer fee, and the Dane is roughly estimated to be worth about 40 million Euros. Saving this amount could mean that the money could be used to paying the club’s debt, or acquiring other assets during their rebuild.
However, it is expected that the Dane would earn about about 183,000 Euros a week.
The move also allows Christensen to gain more play time, as he would not have to compete with the other defenders at Chelsea for a starting spot, while also allowing himself to grow as a player by testing out a new challenge.
Christensen is a Champions League winner and will bring experience to a young rebuilding Barcelona side.
Christensen is also exceptional at positioning and making sure that he is in the right spot defensively. This is especially true when playing in a three back formation.
Another aspect of Christensen that will be essential to his time at Barcelona, is his ability to play the ball. Modern defenders are slowly learning the importance of being able to play the ball, and this will allow Christensen to start build up from defense.
With Barcelona’s playstyle being about controlling possession and passing, Christensen being comfortable with the ball will contribute to the team, and should work given the way that the team wants to play.
BD Sports 