Chelsea flop makes big Maresca admission after transfer decision

Tom Weber

Updated: 2 Oct 2024 16:54 BST
3 min read

Cesare Casadei has revealed that a talk with Enzo Maresca convinced him to stay at Chelsea this summer.

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The Italian midfielder has yet to have any kind of major impact at Chelsea. A 2022 signing, the 21-year-old has only made 12 senior Blues appearances to date after loans to Reading and Leicester City.

Despite now playing under his former Foxes boss Enzo Maresca, Casadei has not yet seen any minutes in the Premier League this season, his only appearances coming against League Two side Barrow in the Carabao Cup.

It was always going to be tough for the youngster to dislodge Chelsea's more senior - and much more expensive - midfield options, so it was a bit of a surprise that he stayed on board in the summer.

There was some confusion over his future during the window, with reports one week claiming Chelsea wanted him to stay and the next that they wanted him to go out on loan.

Casadei speaks about Chelsea ambition

Now, the man himself has broken his silence and admitted that he did think about leaving the club temporarily again. However, after speaking to Maresca, he was convinced that fighting for his place was the best choice for his career.

“From the moment I decided to stay here, my goal is to become a Chelsea player - an important player for this team,” Casadei said ahead of Chelsea's Conference League clash with Gent.

“I always try to give my best to the team, to try to train hard every day and keep improving, having the goal to become an important part of this team. It was my decision [not to leave on loan this season].

"Last season was not very easy for me, so at the start of this season I was thinking about what was the best solution for me. From the moment I spoke to the manager, I was 100 per cent sure that the decision to stay was best for me to improve and for my career.”

“I have always wanted to play for Chelsea. We are one of the biggest teams in the world so I could not be more proud to play for Chelsea.”