Chelsea’s Cesare Casadei has been the star of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup so far.
The Italian midfielder, who was on loan from Chelsea to Reading last season, has six goals in his first five games of the tournament, including one in their 2-1 win over England.
Casadei’s goal-scoring exploits include a brace against Brazil in a 3-2 win, a late penalty to send England crashing out and opening the scoring in the quarter-final victory over Colombia.
The 20-year-old will now turn his attention to the semi-final against a strong South Korea side, as he looks to continue to make his mark in the same tournament that sprung the legacies of the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Erling Haaland and Paul Pogba.
Casadei joined Chelsea in August 2022 from Inter Milan on a six-year contract, before the now-infamous Todd Boehly spending spree. He played for the Chelsea youth sides up until January when he was loaned out to Reading, who went on to suffer relegation after a six-point deduction for financial irregularities. The Italian largely impressed in a very dysfunctional Reading side, but wasn’t able to make enough of an impact to catch the Chelsea hierarchy’s eye, scoring just once.
In terms of playing style, the midfielder’s physical profile is key in the way that he operates. He is smooth and elegant on the ball and loves arriving late in the box for low cut-backs or floated crosses. Casadei also combative and tough-tackling. He didn’t shirk the more scrappy nature of Championship football and protected the defence well at times, blocking shots and heading clearances.
The plan for next season remains unclear. Chelsea and Boehly are obviously going to have to balance the books so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another loan move on the cards, with perhaps the destination more carefully selected this time.
Another young Chelsea player, Brazilian Andrey Santos, had a very good World Cup for his nation, too. Brazil have since been dumped out by Israel in the quarter-finals but Santos played a key role in them getting there, scoring a brace in an excellent performance against Tunisia.
The natural concern of Chelsea fans is how these young players can possibly see a route to the first team with such a big squad. Carney Chukwuemeka was another player at the tournament, playing in England’s midfield.
Only time will tell if these young footballers are to forge a career in west London or elsewhere. Chelsea have a ridiculous amount of talent already on their books without having to dip back into the market.
That depth could also be difficult for the younger players to make it at Stamford Bridge, however talented they are.
