Who is Andreas Christensen? Chelsea star touted as John Terry’s replacement was earning £20,000-a-week aged just 15
Football Whispers reveals why the former Borussia Monchengladbach loanee is eyeing his big breakthrough
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IT was in 2014 that John Terry spoke about a young defender who could one day replace him at Chelsea.
“I’ve told him that he should chase me and knock me out the team,” Terry said.
“He should be hungry to take my place. Believe me, I am sure that he will be a top footballer and one of the future men for Chelsea.”
The teenager Terry was speaking about was Andreas Christensen. And three years on those prophetic words are now coming to pass.
As Terry left Chelsea this summer Christensen returned from a two-year spell in the Bundesliga. He is ready to stake a claim for a place in the Blues first-team.
But who is the man Terry tipped to replace him? Our friends at Football Whispers profile Christensen.
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Who is Andreas Christensen and where does he come from?
Born in Lillerod, Denmark, Christensen’s footballing ability was apparent from the age of two as he would constantly kick a ball around his parents’ house.
When he was four Christensen joined Birkerod, a youth side who were based in Copenhagen – although his father, Sten, a goalkeeper at Brondby, had to lie about his son’s age as clubs in Denmark only accept players from the age of five.
Over the next six years Christensen would continue his development, often while playing as a striker. At the age of 10 he made a decision about his future and asked his father if he could join him at Brondby.
“I said yes, you can go out there,” Sten said. “We took him there to play and one of the coaches there, John Ranum, he said: “We see Andreas as a six but we would need to teach him to defend so we can put him down as a centre back so he can defend a bit more.
"When he was very young he played as a striker, a right winger and he also played left-back. He can still play in a lot of positions. His strength is in reading the game. He got good at it quickly and that was it.”
Christensen would go from strength to strength as he honed his craft as a centre-back. Aston Villa were one of the first English clubs to spot the young Dane but it wasn’t long until European football’s biggest clubs came knocking.
Chelsea won the race for Christensen’s signature. The then 15-year-old joined the Blues in February 2012 and would earn a reported £20,000-a-week at Stamford Bridge.
During his time in the Blues youth system he would win the FA Youth Cup and the UEFA Youth League. He would also lift the Professional Development League with the club’s Under-21 side.
Christensen’s rapid progress was rewarded with a professional debut in October 2014.
He played 90 minutes in 2-1 win over Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup and would go on to make a further two appearances under Jose Mourinho during the 2014/15 campaign.
In the summer of 2015 Christensen was a wanted man. Several European clubs were interested in signing the young centre-back and it was Bundesliga outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach who won the race for his signature.
He signed a two-year loan deal with the club and, after a shaky league debut in which Gladbach conceded four goals to Borussia Dortmund, would go on to become key part of the starting XI.
Christensen would make 39 appearances in all competitions during the 2015/16 season and produced several outstanding performances.
He helped Gladbach keep a clean sheet in the Juventus Stadium in the Champions League and scored twice in a 5-1 win over Werder Bremen.
His performances during the season were so impressive that Chelsea and Antonio Conte attempted to cut short Christensen’s loan. However, Gladbach, unsurprisingly, didn’t want to lose the Denmark international and he remained at Borussia-Park.
It turned out to be the right decision for both clubs and the player. Christensen’s game improved yet again and the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Manchester City were all linked with the centre-back during the 2016/17 campaign.
“He is going to be world class,” said Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl. “Chelsea aren’t going to let him go to Barcelona or Bayern.”
That statement has proven true and Christensen, having made 43 appearances last season, has returned to Stamford Bridge this summer.
He is expected to challenge for spot in Conte’s back three and, given his ability, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ousts one of the more established defenders and becomes the star Terry predicted.
How much will he cost?
Given his current ability and even greater potential Chelsea would demand a big sum from any club looking to prise Christensen away from Stamford Bridge.
There have been reports in Spain that Sevilla are weighing up a £13.4m bid but the Blues are likely to want at least double that if they are even to consider letting the young Dane depart.
Where is his most likely destination this summer?
Christensen is currently on pre-season tour with Chelsea and Blues boss Conte is a known fan. So it’s expected he will remain with the Premier League champions this season and fight for his place in the side.
The only sticking point may be Denmark qualifying for next summer’s World Cup in Russia and a lack of first-team football could damage his chances of starting for his country.
“He reminds me of Franz Beckenbauer,” Denmark manager Åge Hareide said last season. “He still has work to do to reach him – in his playing style – because he’s really relaxed and elegant. It almost looks like he could be playing in a suit.”
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