Last night, shortly after Chelsea’s win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League, it was announced that they would be recalling defender Aaron Anselmino from his loan at Borussia Dortmund.
This was a rather unexpected announcement – while Anselmino hadn’t played much, that was mainly down to injury. He had actually played a lot (and well) when fit, and was highly rated by the German club.
Anselmino weeps as he leaves his temporary home after 6 months
Aaron Anselmino signs for Borussia Dortmund on loan.
Aaron Anselmino signs for Borussia Dortmund on loan.
Today, the club put out a video showing the youngster saying his farewells at the Dortmund training ground, very tearful and full of emotion.
After playing just 7 starts for the German team, Anselmino clearly felt like he had a great connection in Germany. They often tell teams not to fall in love with loan players – in this case it seems like it went the other way around.
You can see the defender in tears in the clip embedded here:
An emotional farewell 🎥 pic.twitter.com/tiYMA1b58Z
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) January 26, 2026
It’s quite sweet. We want to scoff, but it’s easy to forget that this is a young kid from South America who has just come to Europe, made lots of new friends and settled into a new place and is now uprooted again.
These players are people too, not robots or lines on a balance sheet, as we always try to tell our ownership.
In other news…
Estevao Willian provided the definitive magic moment of Chelsea’s win over Crystal Palace, bursting from the halfway line with a great run, and the stats behind it are fascinating.
The first official Chelsea signing of the Liam Rosenior era has arrived – and would you believe it, it’s a teenager. Yisa Alao comes in from Sheffield Wednesday, with bags of talent and a high ceiling. The question is what comes next for him.
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