Thomas Kristensen: Udinese’s Danish Colossus in Defense by Zach Lowy
Last season, Udinese narrowly staved off relegation on the final day after defeating Frosinone 1-0. This season, however, Le Zebrette are sitting pretty in the midtable positions and find themselves on track for their first top-half finish since 2012/13. One player who has been indispensable in Udinese’s defense is Thomas Thiesson Kristensen.
Born in Aarhus, Denmark, Kristensen spent the bulk of his development at AGF, making his official debut for AGF on 16 May 2021 in a Danish Superliga game against Nordsjælland. The following month, he was given the Martin Jørgensen Talent Award, an annual prize given to the club’s best young talent that was named after AGF legend and current team scout Martin Jørgensen.
“Thomas Kristensen, or simply “TK”, made his debut at the end of the season…the culmination of a great development over the past year, which has also brought him into the U20 national team,” stated AGF’s website. “Thomas has some very clear football skills, which he combines with a humble, albeit self-confident approach to his sport. By virtue of his personality and hard work, he is an example to follow for other players in the talent department and is therefore also a worthy recipient of the Martin Jørgensen Talent Prize.”
Kristensen emerged as a starter in central defense and continued his upward momentum by starting in their first eight matches of the 2023/24 season – playing the entirety in seven of them. With AGF selling German defender Yann Aurel Bisseck to Inter Milan for €7.2 million, it seemed that Kristensen would stay put and fill his void. Instead, Kristensen ended up joining Udinese on September 1, 2023 for €5 million (the second-highest fee in AGF history after Bisseck).
Having made just 46 professional appearances, it seemed that Kristensen would be eased into the team, but instead, he was thrown into the deep end and immediately given a chance to shine. Kristensen would ply his trade under Andrea Sottil, Gabriele Cioffi and Fabio Cannavaro – who won the Ballon d’Or after excelling in central defense for Italy’s winning run in the 2006 FIFA World Cup – and become one of the first names on the team sheet as Udinese staved off relegation at the last second.
“Staying up in Serie A was an unbelievable feeling,” stated Kristensen in an RG interview. “The difference between going down to the second tier and staying up is massive. It’s so important in a place like this, a club that can’t go down to Serie B. We all had a few beers afterward and celebrated together and then went on holiday. It wasn’t the best season, but it ended up being a really nice end to the campaign. I’m very proud of how we handled being under so much pressure. It was a really nice moment and a massive relief.”
He’s been able to build on that impressive form under Kosta Runjaić, slotting into the back three whilst also deputizing at right back when needed. Standing at 6’6”, Kristensen is fearless in aerial duels and has the physical prowess to hold his own against the best strikers in Italy. Having spent his adolescence as a central midfielder, Kristensen’s in-game intelligence and passing ability are put on display as he picks out teammates with pinpoint through balls, capable of advancing possession from the first phase to the second phase with ease. In fact, only Jaka Bijol and Christian Kabasele (3.3) are averaging more accurate long balls per game than him (2.5) in Udinese’s squad.
Kristensen has formed a stellar synergy with the likes of Oumar Solet and Bijol in defense and has proven vital for a Udinese side that has already won three more league matches this season than they did in the entirety of 2023/24 (six), and that has taken points off the likes of Atalanta, Napoli, Fiorentina and Lazio. They sit 10th in the Serie A table, and with 13 matches left, they find themselves 13 points clear of the relegation zone. Kristensen’s stoic performances in the backline have not gone unnoticed, and with a contract until 2028, it’s seemingly only a matter of time before his performances result in a lucrative transfer.
From Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United) to Morten Hjulmand (Sporting) to Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United), we’ve seen quite a few Danish players trade Serie A for some of Europe’s top clubs in recent years, and at 23, Kristensen could very well be the next to do so.