Leicester City kicked off their 2023/24 Championship campaign with a 2-1 win over Coventry City and supporters were able to see a few of the new additions in action for the first time.
Who have Leicester signed this summer?
Mads Hermansen made his debut for the club at the King Power between the sticks and defender Callum Doyle lined up at left-back after his move on loan from Champions League winners Manchester City, whilst England international Conor Coady missed out after a switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In midfield, Stephy Mavididi and Harry Winks both made their bows after arriving on permanent deals from Montpellier and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.
That does not appear to be the end of the summer transfer window for Enzo Maresca, though, as the Italian head coach is eyeing another addition in the middle of the park.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the Foxes are pushing to sign central midfielder Cesare Casadei from Premier League side Chelsea on a season-long loan deal.
How good is Cesare Casadei?
The Italy U20 international – who is valued at €5m (£4m) by CIES Football Observatory – is a talented prospect who could be an exceptional signing for Leicester if he is able to translate his form at youth level over to the senior game.
Casadei could be a fantastic player to partner Winks in midfield as his potential to be a significant attacking threat from a number eight position would complement the English maestro's play as a metronome.
Against Coventry, the ex-Spurs man produced a stunning display in midfield as he enjoyed a whopping 132 touches of the ball – more than any other player on the pitch – and completed 108 of his 115 passes, as per Sofascore.
The 27-year-old ace, who created one chance for his teammates, dictated the tempo of the game with his fantastic ability to consistently pop up in the right positions to recycle possession, which allowed the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Mavididi to push on and shine.
Casadei is a midfielder who could benefit from playing alongside a player like Winks as the 20-year-old dynamo could provide goals and assists by pushing forward from a deep position to join the attack.
The 6 foot 1 Italian talent, who was hailed as "outstanding" by scout Jacek Kulig, produced a stunning seven goals and one assist in seven matches at the U20 World Cup this summer and scored an impressive 41 goals in 105 academy games for Inter prior to his switch to Chelsea last year.
He then struck five times in 13 youth team outings for the Blues before a loan move to Reading, where he only scored once in 15 Championship games.
His spell with the Royals, who struggled and ended up being relegated to League One, may not be a fair reflection of his true ability at this level and the Foxes could gamble on him being able to translate his superb goalscoring form from academy football over to the senior game this season.
If Casadei can offer a regular goal threat from a number eight role next to Winks then Maresca could have a dream midfield with one metronome who can sit deep and keep the play ticking next to a player who has the quality to break forward and be a match-winner.