Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen has struggled to gain regular playing time this season. The 22-year-old has been restricted to making mainly cup appearances, making only one Premier League appearance. It is quite clear that Maurizio Sarri prefers the combination of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger in central defence.
Christensen is a product of the Blues youth development system and will naturally want to represent the West London giants. The Denmark international is also one of the few Blues youth products who managed to become a first team regular. After spending two seasons on loan in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach, he became a first-team regular for the Blues under Antonio Conte last season, going on to make 27 appearances in the English top flight.
Christensen will be unhappy with his lack of game time and if he is made available for transfer, the club will not be short of offers especially given that recent reports have suggested that Barcelona are interested. Rudiger is 25-years-old and can go on representing the Blues for many more years to come. However, at 31, Luiz does not have many years left to perform at a high level and he also tends to be inconsistent.
Selling Christensen, who has drawn comparisons to Chelsea club legend John Terry, would be a mistake. In Christensen, Chelsea have a ready-made replacement for Luiz once the Brazilian loses form. If they sell the 23-times capped Denmark national team player, they will have to fork out a hefty sum of money to sign a new central defender.
Christensen is capable of making important blocks, last-ditch challenges and is more than capable of being a goal threat from set-pieces. He still has a lot of flaws in his game, but with the right guidance, he can become one of the best in the world.
