‘Save €80m on another flop’ - Is Cesare Casadei ready to be a Chelsea first-teamer?

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 14 Jun 2023 17:46 BST
• 5 min read

Is Cesare Casadei ready to be a Chelsea first-teamer?

That is the question most Chelsea fans are asking themselves after watching the young midfielder take the Under-20 World Cup by storm over the past few weeks.

Casadei won the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament in Argentina 2023, as well as taking home the Golden Boot as top scorer.

He finished the finals with an incredible seven goals (and two assists) from seven games as Italy made it all the way to the final, finishing runners-up to Uruguay.

READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

This journey included a string of indomitable displays by Casadei, in particular his double against pre-tournament favourites Brazil in the opening match.

His stats across the finals were sensational. Seven goals, two assists and a penalty won in 630 minutes, 296 passes with 80 per cent accuracy, nine key passes and 11 tackles.

There can be no denying that Casadei stood head and shoulders above his peers at the World Cup, as he followed a list of legends such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Paul Pogba who have won the Under-20 Golden Ball.

READ MORE: Who is Cesare Casadei? The ‘Italian Frank Lampard’ at Chelsea

Casadei has a fantastic, accurate and powerful long shot. He connects with the ball so cleanly and his finishing in all positions is lethally clinical.

His best attribute is probably his knack for making late runs into the box and getting himself into positions in the area or just outside area in order to score.

The likeness to Chelsea legend Frank Lampard in this regard is uncanny, and indeed Casadei was already labelled ‘The Italian Frank Lampard’ long before the Blues signed him from Inter last summer.

Casadei is also fantastic in the air and a constant danger aerially off corners and set-pieces, as he displayed throughout the World Cup with two goals off corners.

The one concern over him starting at Chelsea next season is how much of his success at the Under-20 World Cup was down to Casadei’s physique.

It was notable just how much more physically developed - both in terms of strength and height - that Casadei was compared to his opponents.

He is already a man in a 20-year-old’s body. He was far too strong physically for most of the players he was up against, and it was a complete mismatch at corners and set-pieces.

On the one hand, this shows that Casadei is ready to cope physically with the demands of senior men’s football in the Premier League. He also spent the second half of last season on loan at Reading in the Championship, of course.

On the other hand, though, this physical advantage will be negated against the men. Thus, Casadei will have to make use of his other attributes.

His technical game - or certainly his short game and ability to make quick passes, triangles and the like in tight areas - can improve.

Casadei’s versatility is a big plus. He is able to cover multiple roles in the centre of the park.

His favoured role is as a mezz’ala, which is the right or left of a three-man central midfield. But he can also play as a central midfielder in a two, as a trequartista (an attacking midfielder) or in a wide midfield role if required.

During the Under-20 World Cup he played in a midfield diamond, the right of the diamond in a 4-1-2-1-2.

The most important thing is he is given licence to make his forward runs and get into the box. If he is allowed to do that, he will score goals because his football IQ and his shooting/finishing is so strong.

Chelsea, of course, could do with more goals in their team after what transpired last season!

It will be interesting to see what new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino does with Casadei.

It seems certain he will be at least brought along for Chelsea’s summer training camp and pre-season tour and then depending on how he trains and performs in friendlies, a decision can be made.

There is no guarantee he will make the jump from youth sensation to senior star. For every Messi, Aguero and Pogba, there is a Dominic Adiyiah, Dominic Solanke and Ismail Matar - also previous Under-20 World Cup Golden Ball winners.

Either way, Casadei is a player to watch in the coming years. And if he is ready, he could just save Chelsea wasting €70-80 million-plus on another flop.