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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

Cesare Casadei sends Mauricio Pochettino message ahead of Chelsea first-team push

Cesare Casadei wants to prove his worth to Mauricio Pochettino and earn a first-team role at Chelsea next season.

The Italian youngster earned rave reviews as he scooped both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards at the recent Under-20 World Cup, which came after his senior bow during a loan spell at Reading.

“I’ve just finished the season and I want to disconnect from football for a few days,” he told Italy’s Sportsweek. “Afterwards, it will depend on the options that are on the table and my decisions but I have a five-year contract with Chelsea.

“I’ve embarked on a journey that isn’t a short-term mission. The club is investing in young players and I aim to be part of its project.

“My ambition is to wear the shirt and play in the Premier League, which is currently the number one league in the world.”

The departures of Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante, plus potentially Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount, could open up space for Casadei to impress, although Andrey Santos is set for a first-team role upon his arrival from Brazil and Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo is a top transfer target.

But the 20-year-old is confident that he has made the right choice in signing for Chelsea following his move from Inter Milan last summer.

"It's an experience that is giving me a lot from every point of view,” he continued.

“I'm really very happy with the choice I made together with my agent Paolo Busardo. It wasn't the most comfortable option, but I wanted to take it because opportunities like Chelsea pass by only a few times, if not once, in your life.

“Today I can say that this experience is giving me a lot from a personal and professional point of view. I feel much improved since I've been there.”

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