Mauricio Pochettino has announced that Cesare Casadei will be included in Chelsea’s first-team squad for the rest of the season, following the recall of the midfielder from his loan spell at Leicester.
The 21-year-old, who made 22 Championship appearances for the current table-topping Foxes in the first half of the campaign, also featured twice in the Carabao Cup and scored in the FA Cup.
- Barcelona boss Xavi fires dig at Real Madrid over comeback win vs Almeria
- Cristiano Ronaldo voices anger after Lionel Messi wins Best FIFA Men’s Player award
- Cristiano Ronaldo names the team he enjoys watching most in world football
However, Chelsea surprisingly activated a break clause in his loan on Friday, bringing Casadei back to Stamford Bridge.
Recently, Pochettino faced a shortage of midfield choices, having Carney Chukwuemeka, mainly an offensive option, as the sole midfielder on his bench during the match against Fulham just over a week ago.
Pochettino plans to deploy Casadei in the team for the remainder of the season. Additionally, Diego Moreira, who was recalled from his loan at Lyon earlier on Monday, might also see some action.
Asked if the duo are in his plans for the rest of the campaign, Pochettino replied: ‘Yes, both we need to assess now. I think both have come back from their loans.
‘I think good potential. I think they are going to be part of our squad and then the decision is going to be whether they are going to be part of the team every week and every game.
‘But I think it’s good news because we were suffering too many injuries, so to recover players from loans is important for us.’
Asked for his thoughts on how Casadei performed at Leicester, Pochettino added: ‘I think it was fantastic, he was doing really well.
‘But that’s no surprise because in pre-season he did really, really well.
‘He was one of the players that we suffered a little bit to allow him to go, and now hope he can help.
‘It’s true that tomorrow it’s not possible because he has already played for Leicester in the Carabao Cup and in the FA Cup also, so for Friday he’s not available either.
‘But yes on the Premier League, maybe he can be involved with the squad.’
