Chelsea and Italy Under-21 international talent Cesare Casadei reveals what he asks his parents to bring when they visit him in London and thanks Jorginho for helping him settle.
The 21-year-old made his mark in the Inter youth academy and was sold to Chelsea for €14.86m plus up to €5m in add-ons in the summer of 2022.
After loan spells with Reading and Leicester City in the Championship, he was recalled by Chelsea in January.
He is returning home at the moment, as the Italy Under-21 side is playing near his hometown in the European Championship qualifier against Turkey on Tuesday.
“Living in England now, I don’t have much time to return home. Just being in the training camp with Italy, close to Milano Marittima where I was born, is enough to make me feel homesick,” Casadei told the FIGC social media channels.
“I manage to come down every now and then, but it’s more likely my parents come visit me in London. Often they arrive with some cappelletti or a packet of piadine in their suitcases.”
For those not au fait with the cuisine of the Emilia-Romagna region, those are a type of pasta and a classic local wrap.
“I might seem boring, but I am always so concentrated and don’t realise how things are changing. My life has remained the same, I am still at the start of my career and have so much ahead of me.”
The idea of joining Chelsea ought to put a great deal of pressure on the shoulders of a young man, but that is not the experience for Casadei.
“I just try to do my best and am well aware that I have achieved nothing yet. I am always trying to improve. That includes the language, so I try to only watch film and television in English. Inevitably, I had difficulty when I first arrived in England, so I have to thank Jorginho, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thiago Silva for having helped me.”
Jorginho is an Italy international, while the other two spent time playing for Milan and know the language well.
Casadei revealed he is still in contact with many of the other members of the Inter youth team, including current Bologna forward Giovanni Fabbian.
Care packages are a must if you can’t handle the good old British horse meat lasagna.