Chelsea’s Forgotten Wonderkid Emerges as a Future Star under Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino, who is due to take over at Chelsea, may have a star in his ranks.
Cesare Casadei, a forgotten Chelsea youngster, was the star of the show when Italy’s under-20s overcame Brazil 3-2 in the World Cup. Both he and Blues teammate Andrey Santos captained their teams at the tournament, which incoming Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino will have been made aware of.
With two of the most anticipated Blues teenagers on the field, Casadei was the standout performer, scoring twice from midfield to lead his side to victory in their first group encounter. The 20-y
Apart from Fernandez, Pochettino will be hopeful that some of the youth possibilities, such as Casadei, can make an impact next season and will be impressed by his performance against Brazil.
The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain head coach has a strong track record of developing young players, something Boehly will have taken note of before making him their top target.
Chelsea have spent a lot of money on young players in the last year, including Casadei, Santos, David Datro Fofana, Malo Gusto, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, and Wesley Fofana, and will be hoping that Casadei can lead the next generation of Blues stars under Pochettino.
The 18-year-old scored twice in the first half and added an assist as Italy established a 3-0 lead before Brazil replied twice in the second 45 minutes.
The young Italian played the second half of the season on loan at Reading, who were relegated from the Championship, after joining from Inter Milan for an initial £15 million during Todd Boehly’s first window in command at Stamford Bridge.
Casadei was yet to make his Inter debut, but Chelsea were willing to pay what may amount to £17.5m for the teenager, having outbid three competing teams, according to Fabrizio Romano – a move that Pochettino may thank the Blues leadership for next season.
At a time when Pochettino will be analyzing the present Chelsea squad for a solution to their troubles this season, one player who has been away from the club in Casadei could be the answer. The Blues’ midfield has been shuffled throughout the season, but Enzo Fernandez has been a fixture since joining from Benfica in January.
Aside from the Argentine playmaker, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Conor Gallagher, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all been used but rarely shone together, and several of their futures at Stamford Bridge are uncertain. The club is expecting a fire sale this summer to balance the £600m spent in the last two transfer windows, with the likes of Kovacic, Gallagher, and Loftus-Cheek potentially on the market, while Kante’s contract ends in a few weeks.
