The Athletic: Maresca wanted to keep Chelsea ace who left in January in surprising news | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca wanted to keep Cesare Casadei for the rest of the season, but the midfielder opted to join Torino according to The Athletic.

The transfer window slammed shut at 11pm on Monday night, with Chelsea completing the deadline day signing of teenage midfielder Mathis Amougou from St Etienne for £12.5m.

The Blues finalised loan deals for Axel Disasi, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Joao Felix, but they only sold one player in the window.

Maresca wanted to keep Casadei

After what seemed like weeks of prolonged negotiations Chelsea eventually sold Casadei to Serie A side Torino in a deal worth €15m, with the Blues also having a 25% sell on clause.

The 21-year-old’s departure brings an end to his time at Stamford Bridge having joined from Inter Milan in the summer of 2022 for an initial £12.6m.

Casadei swapped Chelsea for Torino last month.

The midfielder struggled to make an impact on the first team at Stamford Bridge and had loan spells at both Reading and Leicester.

Casadei didn’t make a single appearance in the Premier League this season, although he fared better in the Conference League.

His departure doesn’t come as a surprise, but The Athletic have reported Maresca actually wanted to keep the Italy under-21 international.

The report adds it was in fact Casadei’s choice to seek a permanent exit and join Torino, and given his lack of action this season was unlikely to change in the future, you can understand why he made the choice.

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Whilst Casadei’s departure is unlikely to have a huge impact on the first time, it’s another body down in midfield with the Blues struggling for depth in the centre of the park.

Amougou was thought to be a solution to that, but it’s believed the Frenchman isn’t expected to play much over the second half of the season, which seems really strange.