Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed that Argentine centre-back Aaron Anselmino will train with the first team after being recalled early from his loan spell at Boca Juniors.
An exciting teenager, who passed Boca’s academy, officially signed to Chelsea in the summer in a deal worth around £17m. It was quickly agreed that the defender would be loaned back to his youth club for the next 12 months, but the Blues triggered clause in that deal to bring their new recruit to Stamford Bridge in January.
Anselmino’s premature arrival coincides with news that French centre-back Wesley Fofana is likely to miss the rest of the campaign with a hamstring injury. Fellow defender Benoit Badiashile is also out until February, opening up a clear path for Anselma into the first-team squad – if not a potential starting spot in the cup competitions.
“Another talent, another good player,” Maresca said of the 19-year-old while speaking to the media on Friday.
“Now the most important thing is that he comes here, adapts, finds a house and settles down in the right way. Then you need to give him time because when you come from the other side of the world, you need to adapt, see a new world, a new culture, we will certainly try to help him to adapt as soon as possible.”
ChelseaThe Italian boss added: “At the moment, the plan is to keep him here to allow him to work with us and then make a decision.
“If he is here, it is because we think he is a good player and can help us, but for sure he is very young and comes from Argentina, with a completely different culture, different football, different level, so he needs time to adapt. “
Chelsea travel to The Crystal PalaceSelhurst Park are looking for a much-needed win on Saturday afternoon after a disappointing comeback from one point from their last three games in 2024.
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