Cesare Casadei told to leave Chelsea in January
Italy U21 head coach Carmine Nunziata has advised Cesare Casadei to consider leaving Chelsea in January if he continues to struggle for game time.
Speaking to Rai Radio 1 Sport, Nunziata expressed his concern about Casadei’s lack of playing opportunities at Chelsea, stating that while the midfielder had a promising spell with Leicester City last season, his involvement at Chelsea has been limited.
Nunziata mentioned that he had encouraged Casadei to wait until January to assess his situation at Chelsea, and if things don’t improve, to explore other options, ideally finding a club where he can get regular minutes.
He emphasized the importance of playing time for the development of young players and suggested that a move back to Italy could be beneficial, although he also acknowledged the value of gaining experience abroad.
And now the team’s head coach, Carmine Nunziata, believes Casadei will need to leave Chelsea in the next transfer window if he fails to secure more playing time.
‘Last year Cesare had a good first part with Leicester, then he went to Chelsea and played little,’ Nunziata told Rai Radio 1 Sport.
‘This year they kept him there, I advised him to see how it goes until January, otherwise it’s right to look around for another solution.
‘The important thing is that the boys play. If they find a team in Italy, even better.
‘But the experience abroad is also formative. For example, after playing in Switzerland, I found [Mattia] Zanotti to have improved a lot and grown a lot.’
Speaking earlier this month, Maresca praised Casadei for his improvement and insisted the midfielder ‘is going in the right direction’.
‘Cesare played very good against Barrow and played even better against Gent, I’m very happy with the way he’s playing,’ Maresca said.
‘I had Cesare last year and he was playing in a different position. This year we are using him like a holding midfielder.
‘The reason why is that football goes in the direction where probably in the middle you need a physical player and Cesare off the ball is very big, strong physically, helps us when we want to press.
‘On the ball, he is improving a lot, he played one-touch most of the time so we are very happy. It’s the same for the rest, there are many things he can do better, but the good thing is he is going in the right direction.’
Casadei has yet to feature in the Premier League this season for Chelsea but has played a full 90 minutes in both the Carabao Cup and the Conference League.
His involvement in these cup competitions suggests that he might continue to get minutes there, but whether this will be enough to satisfy his development needs remains to be seen as the January transfer window approaches.
Cesare Casadei told to leave Chelsea in January
