Andreas Christensen has revealed he will not try and force a move away from Chelsea this winter transfer window despite his reduced role with the Blues squad.
Christensen joined the west London club’s youth setup from Danish club Brondby in 2012 but it would be three years later, when he spent two years on loan at Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, that he enjoyed a successful run of competitive games in top-tier football.
Having made his breakthrough in Germany as one of the budding central defenders of his generation, the Dane returned to Stamford Bridge last summer. Under the tutelage of Antonio Conte, Christensen established himself as a first-team regular in the Blues squad, featuring in the Italian’s back-three in 33 matches in all competitions, including 27 games in the Premier League.
However, the current campaign has seen a turn of fortunes for the 22-year-old. Maurizio Sarri’s arrival saw Chelsea shift to a back four and with the ex-Napoli schemer favouring David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger in the central defensive role, Christensen has gone down the pecking order. He has been limited to Europa League and League Cup appearances and is yet to suit up for the Blues in the league.
In a recent interview, the Denmark international has recently shed light on his current situation at west London. Quizzed on the possibility of him handing in a transfer request in the January transfer window, Christensen said: “Difficult question. No, I don’t think so,” before admitting his frustration at his lack of minutes on the pitch.
“Things are different from last season. I played a lot of games but this season it hasn’t been like that. It’s always difficult for a player but we’ll see what happens.
“If you asked every player that’s not playing if they’re happy, they’re going to say ‘no’. Everyone wants to play.”
“I can’t do anything else but go back there, train and do my best. Every time I get that opportunity, I have to do well and show him (Sarri) that he can count on me.
“You don’t want to sit around and wait for it. You want to play straight away and that’s why we all play football.”
