What Does the Future Hold for Andreas Christensen at Chelsea?

When John Terry signed a new contract to remain at Chelsea for the 2016/17 season, it wasn't just good news for the player and for the fans who had been calling for him stay. Chelsea's young players should feel the positives, too.

Not because they have Terry around for another year to learn from, but because his presence means the Blues are less likely to be splashing the cash on a host of new signings to toughen up the back line.

We can expect new boss Antonio Conte to dip into the market with at least one major defensive signing, but with Terry available for selection, the surgery needed on the squad isn't as drastic as first thought. Not right now, at least.

That means the likes of Andreas Christensen, Jake Clarke-Salter, Fikayo Tomori and others who are coming through have another year to establish themselves. Their future places aren't going to be taken by a mega-money signing.

It's those sorts of decisions that are vital to the future of Chelsea's younger players. Too often we've seen the pathway to the first team blocked; not by world-class first-team players but squad members who often take up reserve places because the club has invested plenty of money in their transfer fees.

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The decision is a tough one for any manager. Does he leave a multi-million pound signing out of his matchday squad altogether in the name of promoting a youth team player? Or does he take the safe option and go for experience.

At Chelsea, a club where the slightest hint of failure has meant managers losing their jobs in the past, it's always the latter that has been the option. Regardless of reaching five FA Youth Cups in seven years or winning back-to-back UEFA Youth Leagues, the academy hasn't been an option. The manager has to justify the money that has been spent in his name.

Now Terry has signed up for another year, there's every reason the academy becomes a viable option. With Terry hanging around, Christensen can look ahead to another season with Borussia Monchengladbach knowing he has more time to prove himself and return more experienced and ready for action.

That's where his immediate future lies right now. Christensen's season in the Bundesliga has helped him add to his growing reputation, and come the end of 2015/16, the news reports may have carried negative headlines, but they were full of positive implications.

The Guardian's Dominic Fifield reported Chelsea were trying to bring Christensen back early from his two-year loan spell with Monchengladbach, but the player was resisting the move as he wanted to continue his development by playing football and not sitting on the bench.

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Indeed, Christensen is at the same stage of his career as Terry was when he was 19 years old. The Chelsea captain was shipped out to Nottingham Forest on loan at the back end of the 1999/00 season at a pivotal time in his development.

Terry had made a handful of appearances, but competing with Frank Leboeuf and Marcel Desailly, he really had to prove himself. So joining David Platt's struggling Forest side proved a wise move. It meant the young Terry was able play regularly and show Chelsea what he was capable of. Which he did.

Forest had been shipping goals prior to Terry's arrival, but his influence helped shore up the back line and pull Platt's side clear of the relegation zone and into mid-table comfort. With Terry joining their defence in early April, Forest kept three clean sheets in five games, which was more than they had at any time since Christmas that season.

The Chelsea youngster had a big influence. What had helped was doing it away from the glare of Stamford Bridge. Terry wasn't having to perform knowing the slightest mistake could see a World Cup winner drafted back into the side—he was doing it with the pressure off, knowing he was the first choice.

Christensen's loan spell is over a couple of years and not months, but the same principles apply. Terry was coming through at a time where one generation was being phased out for the next to come through. Gianluca Vialli's predicament was whether or not he would replace Leboeuf with another signing or give this young kid from the academy his chance.

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That the Italian opted for Terry as his option means Vialli's mark is still being felt at the Bridge now. It was a brave choice that helped build Chelsea into the club it has become.

Now Terry is at the opposite end of the spectrum, and it's the likes of Christensen being tipped to eventually step in and take over the reins. The Dane isn't being tipped for the captaincy, but a big future is the nonetheless within his sights.

What's encouraging for him is where Chelsea find themselves now. They're rebuilding a new generation, and Conte needs much more than one season to do it. The manager isn't going to address every issue in his first season in charge. He will go some way to doing it, but he has a three-year contract for a reason.

The next 12 months are about plugging the gaps, then building from there. All the while a player like Christensen is gaining experience in a country where the football culture is not too dissimilar from the Premier League.

Things are changing at Chelsea, and the hope is that the youth players who have long been on the fringes will be part of a bright future ahead. Under Jose Mourinho, Christensen was still a kid, but now he's becoming a man, and that's to Conte's benefit.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes