Injury-Hit Anselmino Yet to Make Premier League Debut

In a corner of Chelsea’s squad list, where the eye tends not to linger, sits Aaron Anselmino. The Argentine defender arrived from Boca Juniors in August 2024 for a fee believed to be around £17 million, a signing framed as one for both the present and the future. The future has yet to start.

He has not kicked a ball in the Premier League. Not once.

Chelsea moved quickly after his arrival, sending him on loan to Borussia Dortmund once his international commitments ended. It was meant to be a fast-track education at one of Europe’s most reliable talent factories. Instead, it became another stop on a disrupted journey. Recalled in January, he delivered an emotional farewell in Germany before being packed off again, this time to Strasbourg for the second half of the 2025-26 season.

France offered no escape from frustration. Injuries cut that spell to just three appearances. A campaign that was supposed to harden him for English football barely got off the ground.

Back at Chelsea, the pattern has refused to break. Anselmino’s last outing in blue came in a pre-season friendly against Johor Darul Ta'zim in August. He did not even reach the half-hour mark. Another injury. Another setback. Another pause in a career that has barely been allowed to breathe.

Now, as Chelsea prepare for a Premier League clash with Manchester United on Saturday, the 19-year-old is again unavailable. The club have not specified the nature of the latest problem, but head coach Enzo Maresca’s assistant, Alonso, made it clear they are walking a careful line with the defender’s fitness.

"He's had a few things, a few injuries and it still will take a few weeks until he's fully fit and we need to be cautious with him because he has had a few of them so he's still not there," Alonso said.

It is the language of concern rather than impatience. Chelsea know what they paid for. They also know how quickly repeated injuries can erode a young player’s confidence and rhythm. For now, Anselmino remains an idea rather than an influence, a defender talked about in terms of potential rather than performances.

If his story is one of delay, Gabriel Martinez’s is about acceleration.

The 34-year-old goalkeeper left the Hill Dickinson Stadium on a stretcher after a heavy collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite during Chelsea’s 2-0 win away to Everton. The incident silenced the away end and shifted attention from the result to the veteran’s wellbeing. Initial assessments suggested he would be out for up to six weeks.

That timetable may already be outdated.

Alonso revealed that Martinez could return ahead of schedule and might even feature against Sunderland before the international break, albeit with protection.

"Yes, there is a chance. We need to still wait for next week, but let's see how things go," Alonso said. "But there is a chance."

If he does play, he will do so wearing a face mask, a visual reminder of the collision but also of his determination to get back in goal as quickly as possible. For a squad juggling absences and form, the prospect of an experienced goalkeeper returning earlier than expected is no small boost.

Two players, two very different injury stories. Martinez is racing the clock and might yet win. Anselmino is still stuck at the starting line, waiting for his Chelsea career to actually begin.