Andreas Christensen has broken his silence on his Chelsea exit this summer as he prepares to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
The Denmark international will see his contract expire at Stamford Bridge at the end of the month while the club will lose the defender. The 26-year-old has spent 10 years in west London and came up through the academy.
His departure will come as a major blow to Thomas Tuchel, who was already looking to sign a defender before the news broke that Christensen would leave. However, the former Borussia Monchengladbach loanee has told his side of the story in an emotional post to fans.
“I had a tough decision to make at the age of 16 to leave Denmark,” Christensen said in a statement. “I met many different clubs but there was only ever one choice for me and that was Chelsea.
"From the moment I arrived they made me feel at home, I’m grateful to Jim Fraser and Neil Bath who immediately embraced me as part of their family. Some of my proudest moments at the club were when we won FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League.
"Those were a special group of young players that I was proud to have as teammates. I was fortunate to play under some fantastic managers including [Antonio] Conte, [Jose] Mourinho and now Thomas Tuchel.
"Last year was my proudest achievement as a player when we lifted the Champions League in Porto. I was a young boy at Chelsea with all the hopes and fears of a player starting his career, I’m grateful to the whole club for making my dream come true.”
Christensen's exit has not been well received by Chelsea, who believed they were close to an agreement over a new contract last year. However, his representatives moved the goalposts over the initial terms and negotiations broke down.
And his time with the Blues ended in acrimonious circumstances after Tuchel revealed that the defender pulled out of the starting XI to face Liverpool in the FA Cup final. It has led to condemnation from sections of the fans.
“Having spent ten amazing years at this club, I felt now was the right time for a new beginning for me and my family,” he added. “Mentally the last few months have been tough as it’s not been an easy decision to leave this club and the fans.
“I’m not the most talkative person so sometimes people don’t understand how much the club and the fans mean to me. I will miss the players, staff and everyone here. “I wish the best for the club and the fans in the future.”
