Kendry Paez’s route into Chelsea’s first team has stalled, but the next stage of the 19-year-old’s development is now taking shape at Cobham.
After difficult spells with Strasbourg and River Plate, Paez has made his first two competitive appearances for Chelsea’s development side in the space of four days.
His latest opportunity came against senior opposition on Tuesday night.
Paez was introduced after 63 minutes as Cobham Next Gen lost 2-1 to League One side Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Trophy, giving Chelsea another opportunity to assess the Ecuador international in English football.
It represents a very different environment from the one imagined when Chelsea agreed a deal worth up to £17.2million to sign one of South America’s brightest young prospects.
But it could also provide the stability Paez needs before another major decision arrives in January.
Paez gradually introduced to Chelsea football
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Paez’s first Chelsea appearance came four days earlier in the 4-1 Premier League 2 victory over Arsenal.
He replaced Harrison Bettoni in the 78th minute, getting his first 12 competitive minutes in a Chelsea shirt as Harry Hudson’s side closed out an impressive away victory.
Tuesday represented another step.
This time Paez received around half an hour against a senior Wycombe team.
Chelsea’s [official match report](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/efl-trophy-report-wycombe-wanderers-2-1-cobham-next-gen?utm_source=chatgpt.com) recorded the midfielder testing goalkeeper Mikki van Sas with a long-range effort late in the game before Bettoni scored in stoppage time.
There was no decisive contribution, but that is almost secondary at this stage.
The immediate priority is competitive football.
Xabi Alonso has already made Paez position clear
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There is little ambiguity surrounding his senior prospects this season.
After Chelsea failed to secure a domestic loan before the September deadline, Xabi Alonso was asked whether Paez could be reintegrated into his first-team squad.
His response was emphatic.
BBC Sport reported Alonso saying Paez was **“not part of the plans”**, with Chelsea instead expecting him to work with Cobham Next Gen after their attempts to find a Premier League or Championship loan came to nothing.
Chelsea’s overseas options were also restricted after filling all six international loan slots.
That effectively left the club with two choices: leave Paez without meaningful football or use the development setup to keep him training and playing until the market provides another opportunity.
Chelsea have chosen the latter.
Difficult loans leave Chelsea with important Paez decision
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It follows an unsettled 12 months.
Paez spent the first half of last season at Strasbourg, where Chelsea confirm he made **21 appearances** before being recalled in January and sent to River Plate.
That move was originally intended to last through 2026.
Instead, his time in Argentina ended prematurely after he managed only **461 minutes across 14 appearances in all competitions**, returning to Chelsea before the English transfer deadline.
His current situation therefore should not be confused with a sudden pathway into Alonso’s first team.
It is better viewed as a reset.
Chelsea can now oversee Paez’s training directly, give him exposure to English football and build a clearer picture of what environment should come next.
January could define Paez’s next step
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Another loan remains the logical question when the January window opens, although no destination has yet been agreed.
A move within England would avoid the overseas-loan restrictions that complicated Chelsea’s options in September and could offer Paez the regular senior minutes he has struggled to find since leaving Ecuador.
For now, however, Chelsea do not need immediate answers about whether Paez can fulfil the extraordinary expectations that followed his move from Independiente del Valle.
They need progress.
Twelve minutes against Arsenal became around half an hour against Wycombe senior opposition.
After two disrupted loans and no place in Alonso’s squad, even those relatively modest steps matter.
The real judgment on Chelsea’s Cobham reset will come when January arrives and Paez needs to be ready for another opportunity.