“Blowing up next season”, “Must be thrilled” - Chelsea fans name player who will ‘feast’ if Blues appoint Enzo Maresca
A group of Chelsea fans believe Italian midfielder Cesare Casadei will be excited about their club's imminent appointment of Enzo Maresca as their manager. The Blues are reportedly closing in on the appointment of the Leicester City boss, who led the Foxes to the Championship title this season.
Chelsea's transfer strategy since the arrival of Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital group in 2022 has been focused on signing talented youngsters from across the world. Cesare Casadei arrived as their first teenage signing in the summer of 2022, joining from Inter Milan after impressing in their youth setup.
Casadei won the Golden Boot at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2023 and impressed in pre-season before being sent to Leicester City on loan. The 21-year-old featured under Enzo Maresca at the King Power Stadium, but saw his loan deal cut short as he was recalled in January.
Mauricio Pochettino hardly gave the youngster minutes, leading many to question the wisdom behind recalling him from Leicester, who needed him at the time. With Maresca edging closer to the Chelsea job, Blues fans took to X to talk about the prospects of the midfielder under his compatriot.
A fan stated that Casadei will be extremely satisfied with the appointment:
"Casadei will be the most happiest."
Here are more reactions from fans:
"We might see more from Casadei with Enzo in charge which would be nice," another said.
"Casadei knows the Maresca philosophy. Next season we feast," a fan said.
"He turned casadei to a beast," a fan said.
"Casadei can’t hide his joyy," another added.
"Now that Enzo Maresca is coming, we'll get to see more of Casadei," a fan said.
Cesare Casadei featured 25 times for Enzo Maresca's Foxes in the first half of the season, scoring three goals and providing two assists. The midfielder was very highly rated by the manager, who complained about his departure in January. Mauricio Pochettino gave him a grand total of 68 minutes in the second half of the season, less than one full match.
Chelsea set to offer Enzo Maresca lengthy deal - Reports
According to reports, Chelsea are looking to wrap up a deal with Enzo Maresca before the end of the week. The Athletic reports that the Blues will offer the 44-year-old a five-year contract, which would him at Stamford Bridge until 2029.
Chelsea famously sacked Graham Potter less than a year into his five-year deal in 2023 before handing Pochettino a two-year contract. The Argentine manager ended up spending just one year at Stamford Bridge before leaving the club on mutual terms.
The Blues are in the process of negotiating compensation with the Foxes for the manager, who is in agreement with them over personal terms. The Italian is contracted to Leicester City until 2026, but a move to Chelsea seems imminent.