Aaron Anselmino’s sudden and controversial departure from Borussia Dortmund this winter, initiated by his parent club FC Chelsea who immediately loaned him to Racing Strasbourg, continues to be an emotional topic. His former BVB coach, Niko Kovac, remains deeply affected by the young defender’s challenging development. Currently, the 20-year-old’s time at Strasbourg has been exceptionally modest.
«Sometimes I check how Strasbourg played or if he even featured. That’s completely normal. However, it hurts me that he doesn’t play as often as he used to, or as often as he would have with us,» Kovac stated recently, expressing his regret over Anselmino’s limited playing time in France compared to what he would have received at Dortmund.
Anselmino’s time in France, much like his previous loan spell at Dortmund, has been overshadowed by injuries. Even at BVB, he was rarely fully fit due to recurring issues – missing twelve competitive matches in just five months after almost a year without playing. Yet, during his limited 585 minutes across ten appearances, he left a strong impression on Kovac. The coach highly praised him as a reliable and talented player: «Aaron does really well when he plays. You can rely on this young man from the first to the last minute. He’s a great guy, but also a great defender. He leaves nothing to chance. I’m glad to have such a player in the squad.»
The clause that allowed Chelsea to abruptly recall him, shortly before the agreed-upon deadline, and subsequently send him to their partner club Racing Strasbourg, was seen as questionable for BVB’s squad planning at the time. The widespread images of Anselmino bidding a tearful farewell to his teammates highlighted the contentious nature of modern top-tier football transfers.
Having been in the French border city for two months against his will, Anselmino is reportedly «frustrated,» as Strasbourg’s interim coach Gary O’Neil confirmed four weeks ago. Despite playing 21 minutes in Dortmund’s 3-0 away win against Union Berlin just before his departure, he arrived at his new club carrying an injury. O’Neil stated Anselmino was «not yet completely up to speed physically» and later clarified he had suffered a slight thigh injury.
Subsequently, Anselmino made his first appearances for Racing against Marseille and Lyon, albeit as late substitutions. However, it appears that consistent physical exertion leads to recurring muscular problems for him. The former Dortmund player immediately fell out of contention again. In late February, O’Neil mentioned, «Aaron felt discomfort in his thigh muscles. We still have to wait and see what’s wrong with him. But we will still need him, especially after the departure of Mamadou Sarr, who left a gap.»
The loaned player is still a long way from consistently contributing. Nevertheless, there was recently a glimmer of hope: Anselmino returned to training in late March and received 13 minutes against Nice last weekend. The good news is he’s fit again; the less good news is his total playing time for Strasbourg currently stands at a meager 15 minutes.
Anselmino now has nine matches remaining to establish himself at Strasbourg – who are fighting for European qualification in Ligue 1 and face Mainz 05 in the Coupe de France semi-finals. With Paris Saint-Germain already eliminated from the cup, a victory could lead to a final against Lens or Toulouse. There is still a possibility that Anselmino can dry his tears and conclude an immensely eventful season with a happy ending.