Devastated Chelsea star who cried after being referred to as again from Borussia Dortmund on mortgage is shipped off to Strasbourg – with one other Blues defender returning in his place
Mamadou Sarr will return to Chelsea from his loan at Strasbourg tomorrow ahead of becoming part of Liam Rosenior‘s first team squad.
The 20-year-old will be replaced at Strasbourg by Aaron Anselmino who was recalled from his loan at Borussia Dortmund last weekend.
Anselmino had interest from English clubs plus Dortmund but his agent Diego Merino had talks with Chelsea yesterday and the Argentine is heading to France for his medical and to complete formalities today.
Anselmino had been seen visibly moved and crying earlier this week as he said goodbye to his Dortmund team-mates in Germany.
In a video posted on X, Dortmund players and staff clapped Anselmino as he said an emotional goodbye to everyone individually while hugging them.
Captioned ‘an emotional farewell’, the 38-second video ends with the Argentine posing for a group photo with soon-to-be former group.
Mamadou Sarr will return to Chelsea from his loan at Strasbourg to join the Blues’ first team squad under Liam Rosenior (pictured – Sarr after signing for the Blues back in June 2025)
He will be replaced at the French side by Aaron Anselmino, who was recently left devastated after being recalled from his loan spell at Borussia Dortmund
He had played just 10 times for Dortmund on loan but he left a positive impression on the club’s management and fans.
‘He really does very well when he plays,’ boss Niko Kovac said last month. ‘He had a bit of bad luck. After his really very good debut he had a few problems.
‘He needed a little time, but you can rely on that young man from the first minute to the last. A great lad, but also a great defender.’
Kovac had earlier talked of how Anselmino had produced a ‘world class’ performance on debut against Union Berlin in September.
The transfer movement comes with the Blues having been in the market for a central defender this month. They remain in separate talks over Jeremy Jacquet, the 20-year-old Frenchman of Rennes. That chase is not related to the situations of Sarr and Anselmino, who are also both 20.
Sarr knows Rosenior after playing under him at Strasbourg, who are Chelsea’s sister side beneath the BlueCo umbrella.
Chelsea staged a terrific turnaround versus West Ham on Saturday, coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.
They started with Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile in central defence. However, Badiashile struggled and was replaced by Wesley Fofana at half-time when Rosenior’s side were trailing by two goals.
