Chelsea receive official transfer message from €65m star

Paris Saint-Germain defender Willian Pacho has urged Chelsea to retain faith in Kendry Paez, despite an underwhelming start to his career at Stamford Bridge.

The Ecuador wonderkid joined Chelsea from Independiente del Valle with a burgeoning reputation last summer and he was immediately sent on loan to sister club Strasbourg in Ligue 1. However, the deal was cut short in January, with Paez subsequently joining River Plate on another temporary transfer.

Paez’s time back in South America was a major disappointment and the River Plate hierarchy terminated his loan deal in August, with the 19-year-old forced to return to Chelsea before the end of the summer window.

Xabi Alonso soon confirmed that Paez wasn’t in his first-team plans for the 2026-27 campaign and he has since been plying his trade in Chelsea’s U21 side. However, Paez was still included in Ecuador’s squad for the November international break, and his compatriot Pacho believes he still has the talent to enjoy a successful career at the highest level.

“Kendry is a good guy, every player is different, but he’s been through some tough times. The support he receives from us will be important. He’ll be fine, I’m confident he’ll come through and be a great player and help the national team,” Pacho, who has an Estimated Transfer Value of €65.5 million, told reporters (via Sport Witness).

“He’s a great player, a great person, a great human being, everything falls into place.

“I’m confident that he’ll succeed and become a great player. He has everything. People criticise him now, but I’m sure they’ll praise him later.”

While Paez has been a regular in Chelsea’s U21 side this season, he is unlikely to remain in the club’s academy set-up for the entire campaign and a loan move is expected to be pursued when the January transfer window opens.

TEAMtalk have recently reported that Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Celtic are all keeping close tabs on Paez’s situation ahead of a potential loan approach this winter, while Turkish side Trabzonspor are also interested in a deal.

He is one of several Chelsea stars who could depart during the January window, with Malo Gusto and Jamie Gittens also assessing their futures at the club after falling down the pecking order under Alonso.

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