Following Chelsea’s announcement earlier this month that the Danish international will leave at the end of his contract, Andreas Christensen has written a farewell letter to the club. The international from Denmark is widely believed to sign with Barcelona; Christensen revealed that he has known his future move “for a while,” even if it is not totally in his control.
Due to the Catalan club’s financial issues, it appears that Franck Kessie and Christensen cannot be registered for the La Liga team. However, there have been plenty of other players, such as Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha, who have been linked with transfers to the Nou Camp.
The 26-year-old admitted it had not been an easy choice because of his affection for the club but felt the timing was right to leave Stamford Bridge after a decade with the organization. Christensen discussed his finest Chelsea memories, citing Jim Fraser and Neil Bath as having a significant influence on him when he first joined the team.
In a statement, Christensen said: “I had to decide at the age of 16 to leave Denmark. I visited a lot of clubs, but I could only ever decide between Chelsea and the others. I’m thankful to Jim Fraser and Neil Bath for making me feel at home as soon as I arrived and for quickly accepting me into their family.
“When we won the FA Youth Cup and the UEFA Youth League, they were some of my finest experiences at the club. I felt honored to play with that particular bunch of talented young athletes. I had the good fortune to play for great coaches like [Jose] Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and now Thomas Tuchel. “I was a young lad at Chelsea with all the dreams and concerns of a footballer starting his career, and I’m grateful to the entire club for making my dream come true,” he said. “Last year was my finest achievement as a player when we won the Champions League in Porto.”
After 10 wonderful years at this club, I decided it was time for a fresh start for my family and I. Added he, “Mentally, the past several months have been difficult since leaving this club and its supporters was not an easy choice.
“Because I’m not the outspoken kind, sometimes people don’t realize how much the team and the supporters mean to me. The staff, players, and everyone else here will be missed. Future success for the team and the supporters is my hope.
Discussion about this post