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.
JAVIER PASTORE SLAMS LIAM ROSENIOR’S "UNFAIR" SUSPENSION OF STAR ENZO FERNANDEZ
Enzo Fernandez’s agent warns Chelsea over "unfair" treatment as Real Madrid rumours swirl ahead of the World Cup.
Enzo Fernandez’s agent isn’t holding back; he just blasted Chelsea’s head coach, Liam Rosenior, and the higher-ups, calling the decision to bench Fernandez “completely unfair.” Fernandez, fresh off a World Cup win with Argentina, got punished after saying in an interview that he’d like to live in Madrid someday. Of course, that kicked off a round of speculation connecting him to Real Madrid.
His agent, Javier Pastore, who used to play for PSG, can’t believe Chelsea took such a hard line. Rosenior made it official: Fernandez won’t play in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale, or next weekend’s key Premier League meeting with Manchester City. The coach said Fernandez crossed the line when it comes to the club’s values, after talking about his interest in Spain.
But Pastore says that’s just not right. “This punishment doesn’t fit at all. You’re banning one of Chelsea’s most important players from two really crucial games that could decide if they make the Champions League,” he told The Athletic. Pastore says Fernandez is an anchor for the squad and, in his view, there’s no real justification for such a harsh response.
All this goes back to Fernandez telling an interviewer he’d like to live in Spain one day. Rosenior saw that as a distraction and disrespectful to the club, but Pastore insists his client was just honest about his lifestyle preferences, not making a pitch for a Real Madrid move. According to Pastore, Fernandez didn’t ask for this, and even though he accepted the coach’s call because he’s professional and respects the team, he still doesn’t get why it happened. “He never mentioned any club or said he wanted to leave Chelsea, not even close,” Pastore added. Fernandez only brought up Madrid because it reminds him of Buenos Aires, with the language and culture. “He never said he wanted to leave Chelsea or London,” Pastore pointed out.
And the timing couldn’t be messier. The club and Fernandez’s team have been talking about a possible contract extension for the £107 million signing, but this drama just put everything under a microscope. Pastore warned the board that if they don’t reach a new deal by the end of this summer’s World Cup, Fernandez will start looking at other clubs. That’s more pressure on a club already juggling internal issues. Pastore blamed journalists for overhyping Fernandez’s comments, insisting, “He never said he wanted to leave reporters just twisted things.”
Fernandez isn’t the only one clashing with Rosenior, either. The manager recently had to deal with Marc Cucurella’s interview about wanting to go back to Barcelona. Cucurella didn’t get suspended, but Rosenior made it clear he wasn’t happy those views went public instead of being handled inside the club. So, there’s definitely more than one fire to put out at Cobham these days.
MOISES CAICEDO SPARKS REAL MADRID TRANSFER RUMORS WITH "TIME WILL TELL" ADMISSION
Chelsea’s season hits a low point as Caicedo admits tactical struggles and refuses to rule out a Real Madrid move.
Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo isn’t exactly shutting down the rumours about a move to Real Madrid. When reporters asked if he could see himself joining Madrid one day, he dodged a firm answer. It’s a messy time for Chelsea, too, with captain Enzo Fernandez openly saying he likes Madrid and wouldn’t mind living in Spain. Fernandez got dropped for the next two games, and his agent is fuming about what he called an “unfair” decision.
It’s not helping the mood at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea just crashed out of the Champions League after four straight losses to PSG, and they’ve slipped to sixth in the league. The new manager, Liam Rosenior, is trying to pull everyone together before Saturday’s FA Cup quarterfinal against Port Vale. Still, there’s clear tension: Marc Cucurella used the international break to voice his own frustration.
Now Caicedo, another crucial player, has added to the uncertainty. Speaking to reporters in Madrid while on duty with Ecuador, he didn’t exactly hide the possibility of switching clubs: “You never really know in football, right?” he said. “I’m under contract with Chelsea, and honestly, I haven’t thought about leaving. But you just never know.”
He didn’t leave much doubt that he’s enjoying his time in London, though. “Chelsea is a great club. They’ve looked after me since I got here, and I want to give something back every game, for as long as I’m here. Time will tell.”
Caicedo has made 139 appearances since Chelsea spent £115 million to bring him in from Brighton last August. His contract runs until June 2031, which makes all the transfer talk kind of hypothetical for now, but his other quotes didn’t exactly kill the speculation.
Then there’s the coaching situation. Cucurella spoke up about how the team has struggled since Enzo Maresca left in January, and Caicedo agreed. “It’s tough. We got used to a certain style with Maresca, and Rosenior does things differently. It’s been hard to adapt,” he said. “Sometimes you adjust fast, sometimes it takes longer. Honestly, the whole team feels it right now. But we just have to push through. There’s still a lot to play for.”
