Borussia Dortmund left fuming as Aarón Anselmino bids emotional farewell after Chelsea recall

Aarón Anselmino has said farewell to his Borussia Dortmund team-mates after being recalled from his loan spell by parent club Chelsea.

A video posted on social media by the Bundesliga club showed the 20-year-old Argentina youth international being warmly applauded by the players, with whom he tearfully exchanged hugs and warm words ahead of his return to Stamford Bridge.

Anselmino has made 10 appearances for Dortmund since his arrival in August, not only gaining valuable playing time in the Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup, but evidently forming a strong bond with the dressing room too.

Aarón Anselmino bids Borussia Dortmund emotional farewell

“It was an incredible six months,” Anselmino wrote on social media. “Thank you so much for the love you gave me from day one, I wish you all the best always.”

In a separate video, Anselmino thanked the Yellow Wall for their support. “You have welcomed me here with open arms,” said the defender. “It was wonderful to feel the affection that people showed me. I will always carry that in my heart.”

Replying to one of Anselmino’s posts, Portugal forward Fábio Silva wrote: “Brother, what a pleasure it was to play with you. You’re a star on and off the pitch. I hope we see each other again soon, brother. I love you so much, my friend, I’m going to miss you.”

Anselmino, who scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win at Bayer Leverkusen in late November, four days after setting up Serhou Guirassy to nod in the opener in a 4-0 win over Villarreal, will now hope that he hasn’t been brought back to London merely to warm the Chelsea bench. 

Borussia Dortmund ‘regret’ Aarón Anselmino’s Chelsea recall

Dortmund are said to be deeply unhappy with the Premier League club’s decision to recall the defender, which came without warning at the latter end of the winter transfer window, leaving scant time to find a replacement. The club’s ire was reflected in a terse statement.

“Borussia Dortmund regrets Anselmino’s sudden departure and thanks him for his contributions over the past months,” read the statement. “The club wishes the Argentine all the best for the future.”

Dortmund had harboured hopes of signing Anselmino permanently next summer, with the esteem in which he was held by team-mates and fans shared by manager Niko Kovac.

How Niko Kovac hailed Anselmino’s ‘crusader spirit’

“He fights with crusader spirit,” Kovac said last month. “When things get tight, there’s no nonsense with him. He breaks through, and that’s something you need at this level. You need defenders who love defending. The boy does that excellently.”

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl was of similar mind, and made plain the club’s desire to keep Anselmino.

“I will have to pick up the phone [to Chelsea] and will certainly call them,” said Kehl. “We hope that Aaron will stay on, of course. We have a very good connection with Chelsea.”

Whether that connection has now diminished is open to debate. Chelsea are nonetheless well within their rights to recall Anselmino. The defender’s season-long loan deal did not include an option to buy, but did incorporate a break clause, which the club activated after it became clear that Rennes were unwilling to allow Chelsea transfer target Jérémy Jacquet to leave in the current window. Liverpool have also been credited with interest in Jacquet.

Anselmino has played just two minutes of football for Chelsea since his £15m arrival from Boca Juniors in August 2004. The centre-back could make his second appearance for the club in the midweek Champions League visit to Napoli in midweek or, more probably, at home to West Ham on Saturday tea-time.

Dortmund, meanwhile, who were forced to deploy midfielder Emre Can in defence in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Union Berlin in the absence of the injured Niklas Süle, will hope a defensive crisis is not looming.