It is looking very likely that Chelsea will sign a new central defender in the summer.
Thiago Silva is set to leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires, while Chelsea are currently being heavily linked with a couple of centre-backs.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ousmane Diomande, for example, is one player who the Blues are thought to be interested in.
But if Chelsea really are going to sign a new central defender when the transfer window opens, perhaps they should consider bringing in a former player: Andreas Christensen. Why? Well there are a couple of good reasons.
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Barcelona could sell Andreas Christensen
One thing that makes Christensen appealing is the fact that Barcelona may actually be open to selling him this summer.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed on Substack that sources are saying that it is not impossible that Barcelona get rid of the 27-year-old at the end of the season.
It may be easier to sign Christensen than someone like Diomande, who has a huge release clause in his contract.
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As per Goal, Sporting will only sell the Ivorian if his £69m release clause is triggered.
Andreas Christensen’s Premier League experience
The biggest appeal about Christensen, though, is the Dane’s Premier League experience, which he collected during his time at Chelsea.
He made just over 90 appearances in the English top flight and 161 in total for the Blues. Now 27 as well, Christensen is obviously no novice.
At one stage, former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte actually thought the Denmark international could go on to become club captain one day.
“I trust Christensen,” the 54-year-old was quoted as saying by Sky Sports back in 2018. “I think this player is the present and also for the future for Chelsea. He can also become the captain of this team.”
Looking at his frame, it is easy to tell that Christensen is not the most dominant centre-half in the game at present. Still, he has some very good attributes.
For example, he is great when in possession. Over the last year, the former Chelsea star has ranked in the 99th percentile for pass completion and the 85th for progressive passes among his positional peers (FBref). This is a central defender, then, who can keep the ball and move it forward.
Right now, there is nothing to suggest that Chelsea are actually interested in signing Christensen this summer. But it is perhaps just something to consider if they are planning to dip into the transfer market for a new centre-back.
