Once labeled Chelsea’s next star, Kendry Páez’s European journey stalled before it truly began. After an underwhelming loan in France, the Blues hit reset—sending the Ecuadorian talent to River Plate in search of minutes, confidence, and growth.
Kendry Páez is a young Ecuadorian winger who has been part of Chelsea since 2025. He was born on the 4th of May 2007 in Guayaquil. Kendry was spotted for his qualities and talent due to his performances at one of the most important and well-known teams in Ecuador, Independiente del Valle.
The winger was bought from Chelsea when he was 16 years old for a fee of around £17 million and stayed in Ecuador until he became 18 years old. After he became 18, the Ecuadorian midfielder arrived at Chelsea. Kendry was highly rated, and it was at the same level as Estevao.
Páez hasn’t made an official appearance for the Blues yet. When he arrived in the summer, Kendry was sent on loan to another club in order to grow and get more minutes and opportunities than he would had at Chelsea this season.
Chelsea decided to send the player on loan to their sister club in France, Strasbourg. In France, he played in the first part of the season, 15 games, and scored only 1 goal. His performances at Strasbourg weren’t at that level as expected.
Also, with the changes of coaches at the French club, the Ecuadorian winger played even less than before. Since Gary O’Neil took charge of the club after Rosenior became the new coach of Chelsea, Páez has made one appearance.
For this reason, the Blues cancelled the loan of the player and found a new destination for the talented winger. Based on the rumors, different clubs in England, like Ipswich Town, Birmingham City, etc., were interested in signing him. But the race for Kendry was won by a historical club in Argentina, River Plate.
The player will be sent on a season-long loan to the Argentinian club, and the directors of the Blues hope that the player will find himself there, grow more, and get better as a player, with the scope to have him back after the loan in London.
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