'Badly advised' - Chelsea squandered Kendry Paez but there's still hope

Updated: 8 Sept 2026 16:39 BST | 5 min read

Kendry Paez, River Plate, 2026 — © IMAGO

Tom Weber | Writer

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Chelsea youngster Kendry Paez is in limbo after having his loan at River Plate cut short, and one of his former coaches believes that he is being badly advised by those around him.

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The Ecuador international has become something of a forgotten man at Chelsea. He arrived with plenty of fanfare last year, but after disappointing spells at Strasbourg and River Plate, he finds himself in the Blues' U21s.

Signed in 2023 and, at the time, regarded as the biggest talent in South America, Paez had to wait until his 18th birthday in 2025 before he was able to move to Europe, and a lot had changed at Chelsea in those two years.

Current ETV

Kendry Páez

AM (C), M (CR)

Chelsea

Kendry Páez

AM (C), M (CR)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€8.2M - €11.1M

Indeed, with no clear pathway to first-team football in West London, it was immediately decided that Paez should acclimatise to life on a new continent at BlueCo sister club Strasbourg. This experiment backfired, however.

Paez reportedly did not leave a good impression on then-coach Liam Rosenior in his early training sessions and ultimately struggled for minutes in France. Off-pitch escapades, a recurring problem for the teenager, added to the feeling that he was never going to work in Alsace.

Paez stuck in Chelsea's U21

His loan was terminated in January, and a different tactic was employed. With his adaptation to European football not having gone well, it was thought that sending him to a more familiar cultural environment in South America could unlock his potential.

A two-year loan with River Plate was agreed, but the result was the same. After just a few weeks, it became clear that Paez would struggle in Argentina, and so it turned out. By the end of the spring, the youngster found himself on the outside looking in.

His recent fall from grace has also impacted his role for Ecuador. The 19-year-old was a regular for his country at 16 and 17, but he has increasingly struggled for starting opportunities over the past year. He played just 11 minutes at the World Cup.

Predictably, his loan at River Plate was also cut short, but much later than many would have thought. The issue was that Chelsea tried to find him a new club before formally recalling him - in vain.

Although there was reported interest from various clubs around Europe and England, such as Trabzonspor and Norwich City, Chelsea failed to agree a new loan for Paez. As a result, he is now stuck in the club's U21s.

Chelsea have plenty of players in Paez's position, so Carabao Cup minutes may be the best he can hope for when it comes to first-team game time. It is doubtful that Xabi Alonso has any plans to integrate the teenager into his senior side on a permanent basis.

Paez will therefore likely have to wait until January at the earliest before he can go out on loan again. Knowing how Chelsea operate, it also would not be surprising if they were to decide to simply cut their losses and sell him.

According to Paez's U17s coach Jorge Celico, this mess could have been avoided had the youngster been better advised. Speaking to DSports, the manager voiced his belief that it was wrong for the 19-year-old to skip national team age groups.

"It was a mistake to skip steps with him," Celico insisted. "He didn't play for the U20 team in the World Cup. That means skipping stages you should complete in your development."

This line of thinking can also be extrapolated to his Chelsea transfer. He probably should not have signed for one of the world's biggest clubs at 16. With the gift of hindsight, he would surely admit that it was a mistake to chose his next club before his 18th birthday.

Nevertheless, Celico remains supportive of Paez. The coach believes that he simply has too much talent; he must come good eventually. "In my opinion, Kendry isn’t being properly advised," the Argentine said.

"He has the talent. I coached him in the U17s. Technically, he’s very good and has excellent vision. He’s a player who’s going to break out because he has so much talent."