Liam Rosenior will have to deal with a plethora of different issues as he starts work as Chelsea manager on Thursday, and one decision will be whether to recall any Chelsea loanees.
Wednesday night’s showing against Fulham was largely poor, and while the Blues were reduced to 10 men inside the first half hour, there was a lack of quality and control available to Calum McFarlane.
Rosenior has the perfect opportunity to test a few fringe players in his squad this weekend when Chelsea go to Charlton Athletic in the third round of The FA Cup. As things stand, Chelsea have 15 out on loan.
SCENARIO: You are one of Chelsea’s sporting directors and Todd Boehly has given you £60m to spend in January. Who are you signing?
Your potential shortlist could include:
Kobbie Mainoo
Mike Maignan
Marc Guehi
Todd Boehly and Paul Winstanley during Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Well, with the January window in full flow, Rosenior has the chance to recall any players if he wants, depending on the clauses included in said loans. Aaron Anselmino has been linked with a January return.
Anselmino, 20, joined Chelsea from Boca Juniors in the summer of 2024 for a fee of £15m, but remained on loan with the Argentine giants until January 2025. After just one Chelsea outing, he left on loan again.
Aaron Anselmino of Borussia Dortmund controls the ball
Photo by Max Maiwald/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
This time, to Dortmund. But injury has limited the Argentine to just nine appearances for the German side so far, prompting question marks over whether Chelsea would recall him in the January transfer window.
It is claimed that Chelsea do have a recall clause for Anselmino. Had the defender played more in the first half of the season, that clause would not have been an option. Now, Chelsea have made a decision.
Rosenior won’t recall Anselmino this month, with Chelsea sources telling WAZ in Germany that, actually, Chelsea are happy with Anselmino’s progress and understand his game time is due to injury.
Would YOU recall Aaron Anselmino this month? 🤔
Chelsea are struggling to cut out the mistakes at centre-back…
Aaron Anselmino of Borussia Dortmund reacts after winning the Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and 1. FC Union Berlin
Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images
👇 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say
Chelsea could do with better options in central defence
It is somewhat of a problem area for Chelsea. Tosin has come under fire for making a handful of mistakes in recent games, with the most obvious one coming in the 3-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road.
On Wednesday night, Trevor Chalobah was caught ball-watching and allowed Raul Jimenez to get the run on him. The Mexican, unchallenged, headed past Robert Sanchez with ease to give Fulham the lead.
Axel Disasi is expected to go, and Benoit Badiashile doesn’t start over the English duo. Chelsea could do with some more options in the middle of the defence, and Anselmino might be the answer for Rosenior.
But, clearly, not this season. Chelsea fans hoping to see a glimpse of the Argentine will have to wait until the end of the season, with the player set to remain with Dortmund until the end of his season-long loan.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox