Wind the clock back to July or even August and this wasn’t a battle we were expecting to see – and certainly not the outcome we would have expected.
Cesare Casadei vs. Carney Chukwuemeka for a midfield back up slot seemed a foregone conclusion. Carney has more Premier League experience, and was threatening to break into the Chelsea first team just a year ago.
And he was signed for more money too – £20m in fact. He had made a good impact in his limited time on the pitch, and fans were keen to see more. Everything was set up for him. Meanwhile Casadei looked set for a Championship loan, or maybe even a permanent move elsewhere.
But even since that moment, things have actually gone the other way. Casadei has forced his way into Enzo Maresca’s regular B team selection, while Carney is pushed out.
It it wasn’t clear from the selections in the last few cup games, the reports from the last few weeks and the words of Casadei himself make it clear.
Casadei wins the war of rangy midfielders
Speaking in quotes picked up by CaughtOffside, Casadei revealed it was his decision to stay at the club this summer, and that he had been given some assurances by his manager:
“I decided to stay at Chelsea in the summer as I spoke to Maresca and he’s been very clear. I didn’t have any doubt, I decided to stay and didn’t consider any loan proposal. I’m so proud to be at Chelsea and I’m not planning for a January move.”
Meanwhile, reports out there are claiming that January will in fact more likely see Chukwuemeka sold. It’s amazing how things can swing – by now Chukwuemeka could be a Chelsea regular with 50 appearances under his belt had that fateful injury against West Ham not happened.
