In the four years under BlueCo, Chelsea have largely focused on signing young talents. The issue, potential does not always convert into performance on the pitch. The ownership should know that well by now. After all, despite spending close to two billion pounds, they have not been able to assemble a squad that even qualifies for Europe.
Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League this season. That means they won’t be played in any European competition in the next campaign. Nine other English clubs will. That should be unacceptable.
The perfect example of potential not working might be Kendry Paez. Just look at how his career has panned out so far. His spell at Strasbourg was cut short earlier and he was sent to River Plate, in the hope that a loan stint in South America would help him. But once again, things seem to have fallen apart.
According to Renzo Pantich (via La Perla), River Plate could terminate Paez’s loan. The club have noticed a lack of commitment. He hasn’t met expectations, and coach Chacho hasn’t liked many of his on-field and off-field behaviours. This includes indiscipline and the coach’s feeling that he doesn’t give his all in training.
Kendry Paez’s career looks headed nowhere
If Paez’s loan stint is cut short at River Plate as well, one can only wonder where his career would be headed. It is safe to say that he has not even met minimum expectations so far.
Do not forget, Paez was starting for the Ecuador national team as a teenager. At 19 years of age, he has already appeared 25 times at the international level. Not many players can say that.
Chelsea signed Paez and Estevao around the same time. And initially, the belief was that the Ecuadorian was the one who was more first-team-ready and the Brazilian wonderkid needed to polish his game further. It is safe to say that the perception has changed a lot since those early days.
Can Paez turn his career around?
There is still hope that Paez could turn it around. Despite his poor form, Ecuador have backed his talent and selected him for the World Cup squad.
If Paez ends up having a good tournament in North America, it would go a long way in restoring his confidence after failed spells at River Plate and Strasbourg. Right now, that might be exactly what he needs.
As for the supposed attitude issues, that is something that the player himself needs to work on. Nobody else can solve them for him.
That being said, he is still 19 years of age. So, there is plenty of time for him to turn things around and get his career back on track. It has not started as he would have hoped but the ending is still some distance away.
At the end of the day, there is no doubt about Paez’s talent and potential. But it is up to him to make the most of it. Nobody else can do it for him.