Midfielder’s decision to leave Chelsea mid-season has been proven right by international call-up, it wouldn’t have happened at Stamford Bridge

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Since leaving Chelsea in the winter, one player has undoubtedly enjoyed much more success.

Chelsea allowed many individuals to leave Stamford Bridge in the most recent January transfer window, which included a mixture of loan and permanent deals.

A general criticism fired towards the club in recent years is the Blues squad is too big. In fairness, there are so many players still on the club’s books, even after a mass exodus in the New Year.

Alan Shearer isn’t convinced by Chelsea’s squad because he feels it still lacks top-class quality at goalkeeper, centre-half and striker.

• READ MORE: Shaun Wright-Phillips claims Chelsea should have kept player who left before the start of the season

Italy call-up proves Cesare Casadei made the right decision to leave Chelsea

It’s been less than two months since Chelsea sold Cesare Casadei to Torino in a £12.5m deal (BBC Sport), but the move already seems justified after the recent news.

The 22-year-old midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to Italy’s senior team for March’s international break.

Casadei only played six times for Chelsea in the first half of the 2024/25 season, so we doubt he’d have got international recognition in the near future if he had stayed in West London. Instead, he’s already made six Serie A appearances in 2025 since joining Torino.

Casadei’s valuation has already increased since leaving Chelsea in the winter.

The box-to-box central midfielder didn’t really get the chance to play regularly for the Blues, making 17 senior appearances for them in tota. He had loan spells in the Championship with Leicester City and Reading, too.

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca didn’t want to sell Casadei in the January window, but the move looks like the right one for the player.

What Cesare Casadei has said after Italy call-up

Torino’s January signing Casadei has expressed his delight after international recognition.

Speaking on Monday after his Italy call-up, Casadei said via TuttoMercatoWeb: “It’s all coming very quickly, honestly I just try to stay focused on the present, to do what I can.

“I think about working day by day, it’s always a pleasure to receive compliments from the coach and being called up is a source of pride. I try to do my best, as I said the compliments from the national coach are a source of pride and even more motivation to continue working”.

For other players on Chelsea’s books, they may be looking at what Casadei has done and start to think about their own futures. The Blues need to be very careful about how they keep everyone believing in their long-term vision.