Italy starlet Cesare Casadei has returned to Chelsea after a convincing six-month loan spell at Leicester City in the English Championship and is waiting for his chance to come at Stamford Bridge.
The product of Inter Academy joined the Blues in a €20m deal from the Nerazzurri in 2022 and Italy fans hope he’ll become one of the future stars of La Nazionale. The early signs are promising. Casadei scored three goals in 25 appearances with Leicester City in the first part of the season and was surprisingly recalled by the Blues in the January transfer window.
The 21-year-old benefited from playing under compatriot Enzo Maresca and scored on his debut as a substitute with the Foxes this past August. It was a late winner that helped Leicester City secure a 2-1 home win to Cardiff.
“I said to Cesare the only way to score a goal for an attacking midfielder is to be inside the box,” said Maresca after the game.
“Everything in football happens inside the box. Ramsey scored from 40 metres, but this is Ramsey; it doesn’t happen often. Cesare, one of his strengths is to arrive in the box.”
Casadei made his Premier League debut with Chelsea just a few days after returning from his loan spell in January.
He was introduced in the final five minutes of a 4-1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield, but the hope for Italian fans is to see their compatriot more involved with the Blues’ senior team in the second part of the season.
It remains to be seen if Mauricio Pochettino will give Casadei a chance in Chelsea’s upcoming big game away at Manchester City.
Italian fans living in England may have a chance to see Casadei live as there are still Man City v Chelsea Tickets available, but regardless of his involvement at the Etihad, a club like Chelsea can surely be the right place for the promising midfielder to shine in the coming years.
As Chelsea’s loan player technical coach Carlo Cudicini has recently claimed, the Premier League side have “changed philosophy” and are relying on young players more than they used to do in the past.
The Blues are struggling to get consistent results, but this could theoretically favour Casadei, who can be slowly introduced with less pressure despite playing for one of the biggest clubs in England.
Casadei surely does not lack a winning mentality as he led Italy to a U20 World Cup Final last year. He was the best scorer with seven goals scored as well as the best player in the competition.
The future seems bright for the Italian midfielder, who just needs to get a chance at Stamford Bridge.
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