BVB chief Kehl under fire after Anselmino deal collapses | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund must cope with the early departure of Aaron Anselmino. The focus of the discussion is primarily on BVB sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

The early departure of Aaron Anselmino continues to occupy Borussia Dortmund – and puts sporting director Sebastian Kehl at the center of criticism. The central defender had joined BVB on loan from FC Chelsea last summer, before the English club exercised the recall option embedded in the contract shortly before the transfer deadline and ordered the Argentine back to London.

Despite several injury breaks, Anselmino had proven to be a promising reinforcement. Internally, BVB was in agreement that the young defender had enormous potential and could play a larger role in the future. Accordingly, there was great hope in Dortmund to continue the collaboration beyond the end of the loan – also publicly.

At the end of November, Kehl openly spoke to the Ruhr Nachrichten about this perspective: “Now I will pick up the phone in the next few days. We naturally have a good connection with this club. We hope that he will stay longer.”

These statements are said to have angered Chelsea. According to consistent reports from Fabrizio Romano and the BBC, the interview was a central trigger for the Blues to abruptly end the loan. During the negotiations in the summer, the Premier League club had made it clear that they planned long-term with Anselmino and did not want to permanently let him go. A purchase option for BVB was therefore never part of the deal.

After BVB departure: Anselmino moves to Strasbourg

Photo: IMAGO

The termination of the loan, just a few hours before the deadline, was perceived as a harsh lesson in Dortmund. Internally, there was surprise and anger – also because the sporting situation worsened as a result. In addition to Anselmino, another central defender, Filippo Mané, was injured, but no replacement was signed on the deadline day.

It is now particularly critically viewed that there apparently was no clear plan B. According to information from Sky, there was already internal discussion about a possible withdrawal of Anselmino after the 2-0 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach in December. The topic was even present in the locker room. Nevertheless, the sporting leadership around Kehl and managing director Lars Ricken seemed unprepared when Chelsea finally exercised the option.

A return of the Argentine to Dortmund was apparently not a realistic scenario due to the strained relationship between the clubs. Instead, Chelsea immediately loaned the defender further to Racing Strasbourg.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.