Thomas Tuchel brutal Chelsea goodbye leaves Cobham regret as Jules Kounde path clear

Andreas Christensen was nowhere to be seen on Thursday night during Chelsea's penultimate game of the Premier League season.

After missing the FA Cup final at the last moment and a subsequent barrage of online abuse, Christensen might have opted to disappear into the shadows, leaving a club he's been at for a decade without much fanfare.

The general tone around Christensen now is not pleasant and has not been for some time. From the moment Thomas Tuchel revealed to the media back in December that the Dane had been left out of the lineup in hopes to encourage him to sign a new contract, the narrative has been set and only got worse.

The defender has been on the back foot in terms of public perception, his late withdrawals from two cup finals against Liverpool only furthered the belief of his distance to the Chelsea cause as rumours of his exit to Barcelona grew stronger.

In what has been a uniquely awkward situation for Chelsea, both Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have almost mirrored each other over the season with their uncertain futures. Both deals ticking down, both were first-team regulars and both were a major part of the Champions League win under Tuchel.

Rudiger, though, will likely leave with much applause on Sunday against Watford. Even if his departure to Real Madrid comes as a blow, his cult hero-like status amongst the Stamford Bridge faithful will triumph over any bitterness.

Christensen, though, would likely not receive the same appreciation, even though he came through the club's academy. He was situated in that iconic picture with all of the club's young talent after the Champions League win last May in Porto. Christensen should be viewed as another success story in a blossoming academy under Neil