Andreas Christensen explains Chelsea exit after leaving Thomas Tuchel furious with u-turn

Andreas Christsensen says it was ‘time to leave the club’ after leaving Chelsea ‘furious’ with his decision to back away from signing a new deal at Stamford Bridge.

The Dane is set to join Barcelona on a free transfer on July 1st after deciding against extending his stay in west London.

Christensen had agreed terms over a new deal with the club but he left Tuchel and the board ‘furious’ when he made a u-turn on staying at the club, according to the Evening Standard.

But the Denmark international says he will forever cherish the ten ‘amazing’ years he spent at the club and says it was the right time to depart.

‘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.”

‘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

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