September 4th 2024.
Last season, Cesare Casadei had the opportunity to play under Enzo Maresca while at Leicester. However, things took a turn when Maresca warned that two Chelsea players, who were previously outcasts, would not receive any playing time. This came after Chelsea's manager had made it clear that a number of players were not wanted and were therefore excluded from training during the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
This group, known as the "bomb squad", included some big names like Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku, and Trevoh Chalobah, amounting to a staggering £300million. Among them were also young midfielders Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei, with the former being signed for £20m from Aston Villa just a year ago. While there was interest in Chukwuemeka from clubs like Manchester United and Crystal Palace, Chelsea was willing to loan him out. However, neither he nor Casadei were able to secure a move before the UK transfer deadline last Friday.
Although there is still a chance for the pair to move abroad to countries like Turkey or Belgium where the transfer window is still open, it has been reported by The Athletic that they will not be leaving the club and will instead be reintegrated into Maresca's squad. This was a surprise move, especially for Casadei, who was initially put on the transfer list but was retained after Lesley Ugochukwu was loaned to Southampton. As a result, the 21-year-old was back on the bench for Chelsea's recent draw with Crystal Palace.
However, it is unlikely that either of these players will get much playing time, as Chukwuemeka is yet to appear in a matchday squad this season. Maresca had previously mentioned that the 20-year-old would benefit from playing for another club in order to get regular game time. He said, "Carney, I think he is a very good player. With us, is he going to play 35 games? I'm not sure. The problem is, because of some injuries in the past, I think the best for him is to play 30 or 35 games in a row, to show himself that he is fit and how good he is because he is very good."
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for left-back Ben Chilwell and striker David Datro Fofana, who are still struggling to find a new club. While they were linked to various Premier League clubs, they are still in west London and now Chelsea is trying to loan them out to clubs abroad. According to The Times, Chilwell is likely to move to a Turkish side on loan in order to reduce the wage bill, as he is currently earning £200,000-a-week. On the other hand, Fofana is closely linked to Greek side AEK Athens.
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