After turning 18 last month, Kendry Paez has officially joined Chelsea from Independiente del Valle and is eligible to play for the Blues.
Even so, Chelsea have opted against registering the attacking midfielder for this summer’s Club World Cup.
Following his omission from Chelsea’s squad for the tournament, it is thought that Paez is disappointed.
And it looks like the club could be about to disappoint their new signing even further.
Kendry Paez wants to stay with first team
In March, it was reported that Paez would be joining Strasbourg on loan this summer, and that still seems to be the plan.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the Ecuadorian’s preference is to stay with the Chelsea first team over the next season.
The Conference League winners, though, seem keen to send him out on loan as they consider what is best for both his short-term and long-term development.
While Paez has not been registered to play in the Club World Cup and was initially left out of Chelsea’s travelling squad, the Blues have performed a U-turn and decided he should train with Enzo Maresca‘s group in the US.
Chelsea fans have criticised the club’s management of Paez following this latest development.
Chelsea trying to use Andrey Santos as example
A loan to Strasbourg may not necessarily be a bad thing for Paez. Andrey Santos and Djordje Petrovic both spent last season at Chelsea’s sister club and were really able to develop there.
In fact, the same Daily Mail report claims that Chelsea have been pointing to Santos’ stint in France to show that a loan move can be very beneficial.
Cole Palmer is the first-choice attacking midfielder at Stamford Bridge and the Premier League is not an easy division to adapt to. It means that Paez may not get too many first-team opportunities if he remains at the club for the 2025/26 season.
With that being said, there was no reason to leave him out of the Club World Cup squad, especially with the lack of wingers in the group. The Ecuador international is also capable of playing on the right flank.
