Back in August, it was announced that Chelsea had beaten Arsenal to the £12m signing of Cesare Casadei.
It was La Repubblica who revealed that Mikel Arteta wanted the Italy Under-21 international in north London, although Todd Boehly and his desire to hoover up Europe’s best young talent came out on top.
Now, Chelsea – who also pinched Omari Hutchinson from Arsenal – are reaping the rewards of their £12m signing from Inter Milan.
CHELSEA BEAT ARSENAL TO A GEM
It was obvious that Casadei had talent, even before he arrived in west London.
The 19-year-old impressively scored 17 goals in all competitions from midfield last season, and he has continued his fine form since joining the Blues.
Casadei has scored three goals in four Premier League 2 outings so far this term, which has caught the eye of Graham Potter.
FC Inter News believe the 47-year-old requests regular updates on the teenager, with those at Stamford Bridge convinced that they have a ‘potential champion’ in their ranks.
Interestingly, Potter wasn’t even the one to sign Casadei – Thomas Tuchel was in charge at the time – although it speaks volumes that he is already asking for frequent updates on the youngster just weeks after replacing the German.
CHELSEA MUST JUSTIFY CASADEI TURNING DOWN ARSENAL
As Casadei watches those of a similar age to him receive regular playing time at Arsenal, such as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, Chelsea must make him feel justified in his decision by giving him some action.
Chelsea have a habit for luring bright young talent to west London, only to neglect it, so the Italian wonderkid will hopefully receive some first-team football soon as reward for his impressive displays in the youth setup.
The same goes for Carney Chukwuemeka, who Chelsea signed from Aston Villa for £20m – he has only received four minutes of Premier League football so far this season.
If Casadei is not rewarded at any point this season, Arsenal should make another move for his signature in 2023.