Cesare Casadei is setting his sights on a more impactful second chapter at Chelsea following his reunion with coach Enzo Maresca.
The Italian prospect demonstrated huge potential while under Maresca’s guidance at Leicester City in the first half of last season. Nevertheless, Casadei experienced limited opportunities to build on that promise when he returned to Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino this past January, which ultimately led to a period of doubt and dissatisfaction.
Disenchanted by his lack of playing time in west London, 21-year-old Casadei pondered his other options earlier this summer. However, a single discussion with new boss Maresca reignited his enthusiasm and left him confident his career trajectory was best served at Stamford Bridge.
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“To be honest at the start of this season I was thinking about what was the best solution for me,” he said during a candid interview with BBC Sport (via football.london). “I think last season was quite difficult, especially the last six months, because I didn’t play a lot. I was not really happy, because everyone wants game time.
“But from the moment I spoke to the manager I was 100% sure that the decision to stay was best for me to improve and for my career. I didn’t want to go permanently. There were some possible loans. But 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.”
The former Inter Milan trainee’s journey at Chelsea has not taken off as he might have envisioned, with only a single first-team appearance to his name this season. He’s also been on the bench twice out of their six Premier League matches so far but is yet to play a minute in the top flight this term.
Casadei acknowledged playing time is bound to be scarce with “so many good players” vying for spots on the team. Nevertheless, the ambitious youngster is determined to break into the Chelsea setup like he once did with the Foxes just 12 months ago.
“My goal is to become a Chelsea player – an important player for this team,” he added. “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.”
Casadei’s established relationship with Maresca may provide him some tactical advantage over certain team-mates in striving for recognition. And after a spell of ambiguity, it seems there is no one else he’d rather play under in the current landscape.