What went wrong with Chelsea talent Kendry Paez?

Kendry Paez joined Chelsea in 2023 as a 16-year-old, with the Blues agreeing a £17.27m deal with Independiente del Valle. Three years on, the attacker is still waiting for a first-team breakthrough: now 19, his latest step has been making his first appearance in Chelsea colours for Cobham Next Gen (the renamed Under-21s), coming on as a 12th-minute substitute in Saturday’s 4-1 away win over Arsenal, according to BBC Sport.

From promise to pause

The report looks at why that early momentum didn’t turn into a straight line to the senior squad. BBC Sport recalls the extraordinary early career in Ecuador — including being the youngest debutant and top-flight goalscorer in the country at 15, plus early Libertadores action and record-setting moments in World Cup qualifying — which helped build the expectation that he was heading for big things.

“Not in my plans”

That belief has since been tempered. With a new manager in charge, Xabi Alonso said the midfielder was “not in my plans”, and Chelsea now list him on their website as an academy player. The club also explored loan options in England, but FIFA rules blocked a move overseas after Chelsea used all six of their available international loan slots.

Loans, criticism and rebuilding

BBC Sport ties the wider concerns to his spell away from England too. At Strasbourg, he initially impressed enough to win September’s Young Player of the Month award in France’s top flight, but then faced criticism from then-manager Liam Rosenior — who later said: “We expect more, clearly… I’m tired of using the excuse of the player’s youth.” The loan was ended early after just one goal in 21 appearances, and he later spent time on loan at River Plate, where sources in Argentina raised similar worries.

Even with all that, the article says Chelsea feel there’s still time for him to grow, with stability around him at Cobham where he trains and family attending his recent match. The expectation among those close to Paez is that he can win a first English loan move in January — or that one of the international loan places opens up again — and return to the form that made him one of South America’s most prized youngsters.

Source: BBC Sport.