Chelsea leave Leicester STUNNED by transfer decision

Cameron Smith

• 23 Jan 2024 08:19 GMT
• 3 min read

Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that Chelsea’s decision to recall Cesare Casadei from his loan spell at Leicester City was a “surprise.”

Casadei, 21, made 25 appearances in all competitions for the Championship side, scoring three goals and providing two assists, although he was often used as an impact substitute.

Leicester have been heavily linked with a move for Italian midfielder Stefano Sensi and Chelsea opted to recall Casadei last Friday amid fears that his game time may be decreased if Sensi moves to the King Power Stadium.

Despite the Foxes’ pursuit of Sensi, Maresca didn’t foresee Casadei’s loan spell at the club coming to an end so soon.

“We were surprised Casadei went back to Chelsea,” he told the media. “They own him so they can decide - we can’t do anything. We didn’t expect it but we deal with it and we see if we can do something before the transfer window closes.”

Leicester are yet to add to their squad during the January window so far, although Luke Thomas has returned from an unsuccessful loan spell at Premier League side Sheffield United.

Will Cesare Casadei play a role in Chelsea’s season?

Following his recall by Chelsea, it’s possible that Casadei will be integrated into the first-team at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian midfielder is able to join another club on loan, but he is ineligible to play in the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup due to his participation with Leicester.

As a result, his only hope of Chelsea minutes comes in the Premier League and Mauricio Pochettino is already blessed with an impressive roster of midfielders to choose from.

Andrey Santos has also returned from a failed loan spell at Nottingham Forest, while Carney Chukwuemeka is close to full fitness. As a result, Casadei’s biggest chance of meaningful minutes may come as an unorthodox striker due to Nicolas Jackson’s participation at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Casadei’s aerial ability is one of his greatest strengths and Pochettino may look to utilise that until the end of the season. However, given the former Inter Milan academy star is yet to make his senior debut for Chelsea, it’s unlikely that Casadei will play a prominent role over the next six months.