MARESCA’S HIDDEN WEAPON: WHY CHELSEA SECRETLY TRIGGERED THE WINTER RETURN OF AARON ANSELMINO
Chelsea is set to recall Aaron Anselmino from his Borussia Dortmund loan this January after the defender failed to hit a minutes threshold.
Looks like Borussia Dortmund might lose Aaron Anselmino in January. Turns out there's a clause in his loan deal with Chelsea that says Chelsea can call him back during the winter if he doesn't play enough minutes for Dortmund.
Chelsea's thinking about their options. They've got a bunch of injuries in their defence right now, with guys like Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill getting hurt. Because of that, their coach, Maresca, is thinking about bringing Anselmino back early to have more players available in the New Year.
The young Argentine defender missed Dortmund's last two games of the year because of a thigh injury. That means he might not hit the minimum minutes needed to stop Chelsea from bringing him back to London.
Anselmino came to Germany as part of the deal that sent Carney Chukwuemeka to Dortmund. Dortmund paid about €20 million for Chukwuemeka. After getting over an early injury, Anselmino became a regular in Dortmund's back three, playing next to Nico Schlotterbeck and Waldemar Anton. Fans in Dortmund are already starting to really like him.
Dortmund wants to keep the talented defender.
So far, Anselmino has played in 10 of Dortmund's 22 games, for a total of 564 minutes. A few weeks ago, coach Niko Kovac seemed pretty sure that Anselmino wasn't going anywhere.
Everything's sorted with Chelsea, Kovac said. He's our player, and I think he'll stay with us until the end of the season.
He's a real fighter. When things get tough, he doesn't mess around. He gets the job done. That's what you need at this level: defenders who love to defend. He does that really well. I like players like that who are dedicated and passionate.
Even though Kovac sounded confident, Chelsea might have the upper hand now and could bring Anselmino back if Maresca wants him. But Dortmund doesn't think Chelsea will make a move right away. Plus, Dortmund is hoping that Anselmino wants to stay. Word is he's happy there and wants to stay even after 2025.
Anselmino's quick rise
Anselmino grew up playing for Boca Juniors in South America, joining them when he was 12. He made his first appearance with the senior team in 2023 and quickly became a regular at just 18 years old.
Because he broke into the Boca Juniors team so early, people saw him as one of the best young defenders in Argentina. Clubs in Argentina and other countries started paying attention to him. That attention grew even more in August 2024 when he was about to join Chelsea, who are always looking for young talent for the future.
Even though he's getting a lot of attention, Anselmino hasn't played for Argentina's youth or senior teams yet. But he's developing quickly and getting experience at the club level, so he should be ready to compete at the highest level in Europe soon. People expect him to get a chance in London.
His aggressive style of play has earned him the nickname "El Gratsche" from fans and some German media. Many consider him Dortmund's best loan signing of the season.
What's next for Anselmino?
It's not clear what will happen to him in the short term, but it looks like Anselmino will go back to Chelsea in the summer as planned. A permanent move to Dortmund doesn't seem likely since there's no option to buy him in the loan deal. But people think Dortmund will try hard to find a way to keep him, even if it's just for a few more months.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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