Aaron Anselmino is back at Chelsea after the club confirmed they had cancelled his loan at Borussia Dortmund, immediately after the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The news of Anselmino’s recall, who managed just 10 appearances for Dortmund during the first half of the season, came after Fabrizio Romano reported Jeremy Jacquet would only be a target for the summer.
It is unclear what will happen with Anselmino between now and the end of the January deadline, though there has even been talk that he could possibly return to Dortmund if Chelsea sign a central defender.
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Currently, Chelsea are missing Tosin through a hamstring injury but they still have Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Josh Acheampong and Wesley Fofana. It feels like Anselmino will only be a back-up.
Why Chelsea have recalled Anselmino, according to Romano
It does feel strange, but two reasons could possibly explain the decision. One is that it opens up a foreign loan for a player like Raheem Sterling or Axel Disasi to use, and leave Chelsea temporarily this month.
Napoli want Sterling, while Serie A clubs have been linked with Disasi. FIFA allows six foreign loans and the recall of Anselmino means there is now one able to be used. But Fabrizio Romano has another theory.
He claims that Anselmino, a £15.6m signing from Boca Juniors in the summer of 2024, has been recalled because Chelsea heard whispers in December, suggesting Dortmund were planning a permanent deal.
Romano said on YouTube: “Chelsea decision is because, I can reveal, at the beginning of December, Dortmund made clear to people close to the player that they wanted to sign Anselmino permanently.
“In the summer. They were preparing a budget to make an official bid to Chelsea. But Chelsea made clear Anselmino is a part of their long-term plans,” Romano said, on his latest YouTube upload this week.
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Anselmino preferred to recalling Mamadou Sarr at Strasbourg
Of the six players out on loan at foreign clubs, three of them are at Strasbourg and one of them might have been considered for a recall ahead of Anselmino. Mamadou Sarr just played in the AFCON final.
But the centre-back has remained in France. Reports claim Liam Rosenior asked to recall a defender and when posed with either Anselmino or Sarr, he chose the former, meaning Sarr remains in Ligue 1.
It might be difficult to read into the decision and what the factors were. Sarr gets to continue playing with Strasbourg, but that niggling thought will be in the back of his mind; the new boss prefers Anselmino.
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