Chelsea midfielder Cesare Casadei has heaped praise on manager Enzo Maresca before Thursday evening's Europa Conference League match against Gent. Casadei played under Maresca during his loan spell with Leicester City last season and admitted he was "happy and excited" when he knew Maresca had taken the job at Stamford Bridge.

Cesare Casadei has revealed that a talk with Enzo Maresca convinced him to stay at Chelsea this summer.The Italian midfielder has yet to have any kind of major impact at Chelsea. A 2022 signing, the 21-year-old has only made 12 senior Blues appearances to date after loans to Reading and Leicester City.

The Italian was asked about Casadei adapting to a deeper role in midfield with the Blues. He stated: "I think Cesare did very well in that game (vs Barrow). He struggled at the beginning but in the end he finished very well. We can see Cesare there again, for sure, no doubt.

The 21-year-old midfielder failed to make a start for Chelsea after his Leicester loan was cut-short and missed out on winning the Championship under Enzo Maresca.

Several Chelsea stars have the advantage of working under Enzo Maresca in previous deployments, with one even admitting he grew unhappy after his first spell under the Italian

Maresca has since acknowledged that he plans to use the former Inter Milan starlet in a more defensive-minded role than he has been accustomed to in the past. In over two years spent at Chelsea, Casadei has only accumulated 71 minutes - spread across 11 substitute outings - of Premier League football.

Chelsea midfielder, Cesare Casadei, has made it clear he is not thinking of leaving the club next year. Casadei had revealed his decision to stay at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer when he had the option of going out on loan.