Casadei impressing Italy boss Gattuso after ‘wasted years’ at Chelsea

Cesare Casadei’s first full season at Torino is beginning to take shape and it has put him back on Italy’s radar after what many around him view as three wasted years between Chelsea and various loans.

According to La Stampa, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Azzurri head coach Gennaro Gattuso is following the 22-year-old closely ahead of the 2026 World Cup play-offs, encouraged by his attitude in training and signs of steady growth under Marco Baroni.

Casadei arrived in February and needed time to reset after limited opportunities in England, but Torino were convinced enough of his ceiling to spend €15m to bring him in permanently.

He scored his first Serie A goal under Paolo Vanoli and is now becoming a reliable presence for Baroni, already logging 919 minutes, second-most in the squad behind Bellanova.

Consistency in matches remains the missing ingredient, but the coaching staff view him as one of the most positive performers during the week at Filadelfia.

With regular playing time and a strong second half of the season, Gattuso could reward him with a place in the March play-off squad.

Casadei’s importance is set to grow further after Ivan Ilić returned from Serbia duty with a left-knee injury. Torino expect to be without him for several weeks, placing even more responsibility on Casadei in the heart of midfield.