The loan of Kendry Paez at River Plate was cut short, and Chelsea have decided to bring him back to their own environment and to try to solve the gaps in his professional standards. The 19-year-old Ecuadorian attacking midfielder couldn’t engineer a deadline-day exit and now needs a development plan.
The left-footed playmaker joined the Argentine giants in January 2026 after his season-long loan spell at sister club Strasbourg was cut short, but the South American sojourn proved just as fruitless. In fact, Paez made just 14 appearances at the Estadio Mas Monumental, three of those starts, for fewer than 500 minutes and one goal before Chelsea exercised their option to recall him in late August.
Chelsea were exploring options in the Premier League and the Championship but failed to reach an agreement before the deadline on Tuesday. The club’s six overseas loan slots have already been filled, including Robert Sanchez going to Como and Dario Essugo joining Strasbourg. Blackburn Rovers were offered the Ecuadorian, but Tony Mowbray wasn’t convinced, per reports.
Paez signed from Independiente del Valle in July 2025 for around £17m, two years after the original agreement. Already, he had bagged 13 goals and provided six assists in 70 senior appearances in his native country and now has 27 international caps to his name. His 2026 World Cup was only 11 minutes of football, a reflection of his diminished standing at club level.
The contract still has another seven years or so to run, so Chelsea have plenty of scope to be patient with the expensive young player. Unless the teenager forces Xabi Alonso to think again on the training pitches at Cobham, then the immediate solution appears to be Premier League 2 appearances with the under-21s.
Paez Misses Out On Alonso’s 25-Man Roster Due To Chelsea’s Overstuffed Squad
Chelsea’s failure to move for Paez has been compounded by a registration issue largely of their own making. Xabi Alonso finished the window with 27 senior professionals vying for the 25 places on a Premier League squad list. Paez and keeper Gabriel Slonina are the two expected to miss out on that submission.
Neither featured under the Spaniard in pre-season, so their omission is more formality than surprise. Chelsea still have the option to pursue a permanent sale, with the Portuguese window open until September 15 and Saudi Arabia’s until October 12. Any such deal would have to be around £15m to avoid an amortisation loss on the accounts.
Last season the Blues finished in tenth and failed to qualify for Europe, and on Sunday afternoon they head to champions Arsenal. Alonso then hosts Leeds United in the Carabao Cup on 9 September before welcoming newly promoted Hull City three days later.