Yahoo News Chelsea starlet reveals he played part in surprise Leicester City transfer decision
Leicester City loanee Cesare Casadei has revealed that he was partly behind the surprise decision that saw him return to Chelsea in January.
Casadei returned to his parent club midway through the winter window in a moment that irritated then manager Enzo Maresca for the remainder of the season, particularly after City failed to bring Stefano Sensi on deadline day. Wilfred Ndidi had been ruled out for a couple of months through injury shortly before Casadei’s return to Stamford Bridge, with the young Italian due to play a significant role in Maresca’s side.
While it initially seemed a decision solely made by Chelsea, Casadei has said that he was asked if he wanted to return, and didn’t think twice. The 21-year-old made 11 appearances for Chelsea in the second half of the season, but all of them as a substitute and for less than a combined 70 minutes.
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He felt that even if he did not get the opportunity for much game-time, being surrounded by Premier League players would be beneficial to his career.
“Chelsea is my team and that was my dream, to be able to play for Chelsea,” Casadei said. “Obviously to go on loan is part of the journey but my target was always to come back here and play for Chelsea.
“They asked me if I was happy to come back and I said yes straight away because to come back here to Chelsea was my target. My goal was to be able to be here, to train every day in the first team.
“I wasn’t really expecting the call – I was just doing my journey with Leicester and I was just trying to be focused on that and not think about other things. But when they called, I was really happy and really excited.
“There are so many really good players that I knew that I would be able to learn a lot, even if I didn’t get a lot of time in games. Still, training with them every day makes me improve, for sure.”
Now, Casadei will be managed by Maresca again after the Italian boss swapped Leicester for London earlier this month. The task now is to bring everything he’s learned, including from his loan spells with Reading and City, to the table in order to get more opportunities.
“In terms of football, I learned a lot because Reading and then Leicester were my first experiences in real football, between the adults,” he added. “I had to be in a group of adults, not young guys. It helped me a lot because there is another tempo in the game, another intensity.
“That’s why it is important to go on loan before you start playing for a team like Chelsea. You need experience in the way you play and train and everything else around it.”
