October 17th 2024.
Cesare Casadei had a big decision to make this summer - whether to stay at Chelsea or move on to another club. His Italy Under-21s manager, Carmine Nunziata, has been urging him to leave Stamford Bridge in the upcoming January transfer window. The 21-year-old made a €20 million switch from Inter in 2022, but has yet to establish himself in the Chelsea first team.
After spending time on loan at Reading and Leicester City under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, Casadei finally made his senior debut for Chelsea in January. Despite this, he declined the opportunity to go out on loan again during the summer and has only featured in cup competitions this season. However, he did make an impact for his national team, scoring the opening goal in their European Championship qualifier against the Republic of Ireland.
Nunziata believes that if Casadei doesn't secure more playing time at Chelsea, he will need to look for another solution in the January transfer window. He stated, "Last year Cesare had a good first part with Leicester, then he went to Chelsea and played little. This year they kept him there, I advised him to see how it goes until January, otherwise it's right to look around for another solution."
The coach also emphasized the importance of playing time for young players and suggested that a move to a team in Italy would be ideal for Casadei. However, he also acknowledged that playing abroad can be a valuable learning experience, citing the example of Mattia Zanotti who improved greatly after playing in Switzerland.
Maresca, who previously managed Casadei at Leicester, praised the midfielder for his progress and mentioned that he has been playing in a different position this season. He said, "Cesare played very good against Barrow and played even better against Gent, I'm very happy with the way he's playing." Maresca also highlighted Casadei's physicality and ability to help with pressing, while also noting his improvement on the ball.
Despite the positive comments from his managers, Casadei has only made two appearances for Chelsea this season. It remains to be seen whether he will take Nunziata's advice and seek a move in the January transfer window or continue to fight for his place at Chelsea. One thing is for sure, he will need to keep making progress and showing improvement if he wants to establish himself in the Premier League.
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