Chelsea Trio Handed International Call-Ups Including Two Players On Injury List
All three of Chelsea's Argentines have been called up for their upcoming friendlies.
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Three Chelsea players have been called up by Argentina for their upcoming friendly games during the November international break.
On Tuesday, the Argentina FA (AFA) announced their 28-man squad for the international break starting next week. All three of Chelsea's Argentines, Emiliano Martinez, Valentin Barco, and Aaron Anselmino, have made the cut.
Barco’s inclusion is quite expected. While the midfielder has not been able to establish himself as a regular starter for Chelsea, he has been an integral part of the Argentina squad for some time, including in their 2026 World Cup campaign last summer.
Additionally, unlike Martinez and Anselmino, Barco is not dealing with an injury problem.
Martinez and Anselmino's international call-ups despite injuries
Martinez has not featured for Chelsea since the 2-0 win over Everton, in which he had a concussion and fractured his jaw in a collision in the second half. He has missed the last three games, with the younger Mike Penders stepping up to replace him in goal, and it remains unclear whether he will be available for Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Sunderland on Sunday.
However, in a recent interview, the veteran goalkeeper has confirmed his decision to join the Argentina squad for the international break, even though he himself was unsure whether he would be fit enough to play both friendlies against Uruguay (Friday, November 13) and Costa Rica (Tuesday, November 17).
Anselmino’s call-up was even more surprising.
The 23-year-old has earned his first senior call-up for the national team, having previously been part of the Under-20s. Remarkably, he earned it despite having not played a single game for Chelsea this season amid struggles with injuries.
He made the bench once, when Chelsea beat League One side Luton Town 2-0 in the Carabao Cup in late August, and has not made any matchday squads since.
Less than a week ago, Alonso clarified that Anselmino was not expected to be back for at least a few weeks.
“He’s not available yet,” the Chelsea manager said about the defender during pre-Manchester United press conference last Friday.
“He’s had a few injuries. It will take a few weeks until he is fully fit.”
It is worth mentioning that Anselmino was present during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. He only sat behind the bench to be with his teammates, but this was the first time in a while he was seen during a Chelsea match.
The optimistic view would be that Alonso was referring to the estimated time it would take Anselmino to regain his match fitness when he said “a few weeks”. If this is the case, then international minutes with Argentina could only benefit Anselmino.
Regardless, the sooner Anselmino is ready to play, the better it is for Chelsea, who are dealing with several defensive injuries, including Maxence Lacroix, Reece James, and Jorrel Hato.
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