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.
WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS
Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.
After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.
Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.
Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.
Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.
The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.
Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.
Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.
He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.
Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.
Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.
There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.
Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.
It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.
He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.
BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE
Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.
Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.
The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.
So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.
Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.
After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.
Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.
"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.
The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.
Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.
Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.
About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."
But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.
Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.
But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.
Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.
But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.
After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.