Enzo Maresca admitted Leicester had been caught on the hop by Chelsea’s decision to cut short Cesare Casadei’s loan spell with the Championship leaders.
The Italian midfielder had been due to spend the entire campaign at Leicester but was recalled to Stamford Bridge last Friday, leaving Leicester’s squad a little depleted ahead of Monday’s 1-1 draw with fellow high-fliers Ipswich.
Mail Sport understands Casadei’s departure may pave the way for Maresca to bring in long-term target Stefano Sensi from Inter Milan – but the Casadei development still left him shocked.
‘We were surprised Casadei went back to Chelsea,’ said Maresca. ‘They own him so they can decide – we can’t do anything. We didn’t expect it but we deal with it and we see if we can do something before the transfer window closes.’
Casadei made 25 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes this season and scoring three goals.
Chelsea recalled Cesare Casadei from his loan at Championship leaders Leicester City
The 21-year-old midfielder made 25 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes this season
Casadei’s departure may pave the way for Enzo Maresca to land Stefano Sensi from Inter Milan
Having joined Chelsea in a £12.6m move from Inter Milan two-years ago, Casadei is yet to make his senior debut for Chelsea but has made 13 appearances for the club’s under-21 side.
Casadei gained invaluable experience during his loan in the Midlands and will hope to use his experiences to forge a path into Mauricio Pochettino’s senior team.
