Andreas Christensen can be top defender and hopefully he will, reveals Thomas Tuchel

While many believed Thiago Silva’s arrival last summer would mean the end of Andreas Christensen at Chelsea, but the appointment of Thomas Tuchel has changed things for the club. The German’s decision to switch to a back-three and play Silva, Christensen and Rudiger has allowed all three to shine. But while both Silva and Rudiger have been praised immensely, Christensen’s performances have gone under the radar during that time.

However, with less than one year left on his current deal, it has many fans worried that the Danish defender might opt to leave the club especially since negotiations have reportedly stalled. Reports have indicated that there has been no discussion or contact since August, after Chelsea offered the 25-year-old a four-year contract with the option for an extra year. Yet in light of that, Tuchel has praised Christensen and admitted that he believes the Dane could become a defensive legend at Chelsea.

“I think it is important we accept the personality of every player. Some are more loud, some aggressive, some more calm. He’s a calm guy, very intelligent player, and sometimes you can get maybe a bit misled by judging him from his personality, because he is a hard defender and he is a guy who is not shy to have hard tackles and win challenges and step up in games. He found his place,” Tuchel said, reported the Guardian.

“He is very strong, very reliable and he has not reached his limits because in his age there is still room to improve. He can be a top defender for us in the next years and hopefully he will be because he comes from the academy. 

“He knows what it takes and he has improved massively so far but it is not done yet – you have to show it over and over. There are big examples in this club of what it takes to be a legend in defence and there is still a way to go but we are very happy so far,” he added.