Chelsea star insists he's 'happy' to have left Blues after sealing move to Serie A club

Former Chelsea star Cesare Casadei has opened up about his transfer to Torino this winter. The Serie A side signed the Italy under-21 international for a reported fee of €13 million before the close of the winter transfer window.

Since joining the Blues from Inter Milan in the summer of 2022, the midfielder has found game time hard to come by. He's had to compete with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Romeo Lavia for a place in the middle of the park.

The 22-year-old seemingly moved away to play regularly and told Gazzetta dello Sport in a recent interview (via The Boot Room):

“I couldn’t wait. I had been trying (to leave) for a couple of seasons but, for one reason or another, I was hindered. I had another couple of years in England which, however, were very useful. Now is the right time to put myself to the test in Serie A, and I’m happy about it."

“It was decisive (Torino making him feel valued). Very important. It’s what I needed, to be in a club where they make me feel important and where I feel important. I feel that I can make a big contribution. I’m coming from a semester at Chelsea where I didn’t play much, so I needed to regain confidence and trust.”

Overall, Casadei only made 17 senior appearances across competitions for Chelsea and failed to register a goal contribution.

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Sky Sports journalist reveals reason behind Joao Felix's loan move from Chelsea to AC Milan

Joao Felix

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol believes that Chelsea attacker Joao Felix decided to join AC Milan on loan till the end of the season in search of minutes. The Portugal international was not a first-choice player under Enzo Maresca and faced competition from Cole Palmer for a place behind the striker.

Overall, he's made 12 appearances in the Premier League this season, bagging a goal and an assist each. Speaking about the player, who managed to register 363 minutes of action in the English top flight, Solhekol told Sky Sports News:

"He was not very happy at Stamford Bridge in his second spell because he was not playing regularly. He wants more game time and I don't think he was going to get that at Stamford Bridge."

Overall, Felix has made 40 senior appearances across competitions for Chelsea, including his previous spell at the club. Before joining permanently in 2024 from Atletico Madrid, he was on loan in west London during the second half of the 2022-23 campaign.