Andreas Christensen stunned Chelsea players ahead of the FA Cup final clash with Liverpool when he told coach Thomas Tuchel that he was not interested in playing the game.
After turning down the opportunity of being a part of the squad that took on Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 14, the 26-year-old Danish center-back left the team’s hotel almost immediately.
The most stunning aspect of the incident was that Andreas Christensen who has suffered a couple of injuries and illnesses in recent seasons was confirmed fit for the game.
Due to his decision to walk out of the team a few hours before the kick-off of the FA Cup final, he was not named in the squad that executed the game.
During the game, his absence was felt when Thiago Silva suffered a knee injury. But the 37-year-old Brazilian central-back had to play on because there was no reliable defender to cover up for him. The only option on Chelsea’s bench was Malang Sarr.
Fortunately for Chelsea, Liverpool could not score against the West London club throughout the 120 minutes of intense attacks from coach Jurgen Klopp’s boys.
When the two sides failed to score during regular time and extra time, they went into penalty shootouts which Liverpool won 6-5 to claim their first FA Cup title since 2006.
The reason why Andreas Christensen decided to walk out of Chelsea at such a moment has not been made public but it might be connected to his pending free transfer to FC Barcelona.
Note that Chelsea is on the verge of losing the 26-year-old Denmark international and Antonio Rudiger on a free transfer at the end of this season. Rudiger will join Real Madrid while Christensen will join FC Barcelona this summer.
What is Andreas Christensen’s stats at Chelsea
Andreas Christensen joined Chelsea youth team from Danish youth team Bröndby IF Under-17 team on July 1, 2012. He gained promotion to Chelsea’s senior team on July 1, 2015.
After he was promoted to Chelsea’s senior team, the club decided to send him on loan to a German club, Borussia Mönchengladbach on July 10, 2015. He spent two seasons at the German club before he returned to Chelsea on June 30, 2017.
Since then, Christensen has played a total number of 161 games in all competitions in which he scored two goals and provided two assists. So far in the 2021-2022 season, Christensen has played 34 games in which he scored two goals and provided an assist in all competitions.
Based on the contract extension Andreas Christensen signed with Chelsea on January 9, 2018, the Danish defender earns €3.8 million per year at the Premier League club. The contract will expire on June 30, 2022, and has decided to join FC Barcelona on a free transfer this summer.
What we know about the pending deal between Andreas Christensen and FC Barcelona:
All things being equal, Andreas Christensen is expected to complete his move from Chelsea to FC Barcelona a few days from the time of publishing this report.
According to a report by Sport Witness, Christensen is expected to sign a five-year deal with FC Barcelona at the end of this season. The deal is expected to earn him almost twice his current salary at Chelsea.
Reports claimed that Christensen could earn nothing less than €6 million per season after tax at the Spanish club which is an overwhelming deal for the 26-year-old Danish defender.
