Chelsea loanee Aaron Anselmino played a key role in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Before that, Anselmino also contributed to Dortmund’s impressive 4-0 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League.
Since then, Dortmund manager Niko Kovac has singled out the defender for praise.
The Chelsea loanee with the most potential is _ _ _ _ _ _
Mike Penders of Chelsea FC poses with the trophy during the
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Dortmund were worried about Anselmino after an injury that the 20-year-old picked up, but he has quickly recovered from it and is now making an impact in the team.
Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac smiling
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Niko Kovac loves professionalism of Chelsea loanee Aaron Anselmino
Following his latest performance, Kovac has described Anselmino as a “true professional”.
The former Bayern Munich manager has also suggested that Anselmino has not neglected his duty of defending like other modern-day centre-halves have.
Speaking after Dortmund’s win against Leverkusen, he said via Bulinews: “Anselmino is a great guy, a tough competitor who can hurt the opposition, but we need defenders who love defending.
“Nowadays, defenders always want to build up the game, but sometimes you need to focus on your core skill: defending. He is a true professional, and I love players who perform their job with dedication and passion.”
With the way that he is playing right now, Kovac will want to have the centre-back as an option next season.
However, Dortmund only signed Anselmino on loan, so the Argentine is likely to return to Chelsea in the summer.
Borussia Dortmund defender Aaron Anselmino celebrating
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Aaron Anselmino’s stats under Niko Kovac this season
In total, Anselmino has made seven appearances under Kovac at Dortmund and scored one goal following his header against Leverkusen on Saturday.
Aaron Anselmino’s 2025/26 stats Appearances Goals Assists
Bundesliga 4 1 0
Champions League 2 0 1
DFB-Pokal 1 0 0
Total 7 1 1
While Anselmino has only been able to make three starts in the Bundesliga this season, he has probably been one of Dortmund’s best defenders.
According to WhoScored, the former Boca Juniors star is making 1.8 tackles per game. Only Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck are averaging more in Kovac’s squad (both 2.1).
He is also making three clearances per game, putting him in the top five players for that area.
All in all, Anselmino’s loan spell is going well despite that small injury he picked up shortly after joining the club. Chelsea will be happy with the progress that he is making.
Instead of buying a new centre-half in 2026, the Club World Cup winners could always turn to Anselmino if they feel that they need reinforcements in that area of the pitch.