Tuchel confirms Christensen is joining Barcelona
Karan Tejwani
- 16 May 2022 09:49 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel finally confirmed that defender Andreas Christensen is on his way out of the club and is set to move to Spain.
It has long been rumoured that Christensen had agreed a deal to join Barcelona in the summer transfer window once his contract at Stamford Bridge runs out.
Now, though, Tuchel has publicly confirmed that the defender will leave the club, having been there since 2012, when he joined as a youth player.
Related articles
“He will leave,” the German manager said when asked about the Danish defender, with the news of him signing an agreement with Barcelona having been revealed several months ago.
Christensen was set to leave the club on good terms, having put in decent performances for the team over the years and stepping up when needed, especially in the successful Champions League final last year.
However, he angered many fans over the weekend when it was revealed that he opted out of selection for the FA Cup final, forcing Tuchel to make late changes to his plans and starting with Trevoh Chalobah.
This came despite Christensen being fully fit for the final against Liverpool – he was initially set to start the game, and matters were further complicated when Thiago Silva seemingly picked up an injury during the match.
🔄 (CHRISTENSEN): Andreas Christensen will play for Barcelona next season. The deal has been completed weeks ago and it is already signed.
"We are losing him!", Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel confirms.#FCB 🇩🇰
Via (🟢): @FabrizioRomano pic.twitter.com/M790FDaFUs— Barça Buzz (@Barca_Buzz) May 16, 2022
It seems as though Christensen won’t be putting on a Chelsea shirt anytime soon, and he is set to move to Barcelona, where the club are hoping to start a new era under Xavi.
Barcelona have secured second place and Champions League football for next season, and that is a positive end to the campaign having struggled under previous manager, Ronald Koeman.
Christensen won’t be the only player arriving on a free, with Milan’s Franck Kessie set to be another, while the club are also pursuing other targets, including Robert Lewandowski, who confirmed he won’t extend his Bayern Munich contract.
