River Plate made official the arrival of Ecuadorian footballer Kendry Páez on loan from Chelsea in England.After closing the negotiation in the last hours, Núñez’s club presented him with the formal photo with the shirt and confirmed that the transaction was carried out on loan, without a purchase option.
The 18-year-old attacker, who cut his loan spell at Racing Strasbourg in France’s Ligue 1, disembarked in the country this Friday morning and underwent a medical examination.Then, he signed his contract together with the president of the Millionaire Stefano Di Carlo, the club’s General Secretary Agustín Forchieri and the Football Manager Mariano Barnao.
“The midfielder sealed his relationship with the Club on loan, without a purchase option. At the signing of the contract, the footballer was accompanied by the President Stefano Di Carlo,” they indicated in the statement they published on the club’s website.
Chelsea, for its part, also issued a statement: “Kendry Páez has joined Argentine club River Plate for the remainder of this year, after being called up from Strasbourg. The attacking midfielder now returns to South America to continue his development with River Plate.”
The landing of Kendry Páez in River Plate was positioned as one of the most resonant movements in the Argentine transfer market, both for its projection and for the international network behind its arrival.The 18-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder, whose pass belongs to Chelsea, was loaned to Núñez’s team under a free modality and without a purchase option, for a period of 18 months.The agreement was made with the expectation that Páez would achieve continuity and development before the next World Cup: Ecuador will be part of Group E along with Germany, Curaçao and Ivory Coast, against which they will debut on June 14 in Philadelphia.
The transfer of the former Independiente del Valle to River Plate takes place after his time at Racing de Strasbourg, a French club that is part of the BlueCo conglomerate together with Chelsea.There, the footballer played 21 games, although in most of them he came on from the substitute bench, a situation that motivated the English club to look for new destinations that would give him greater prominence.
The%20operation%C3%B3n%20se%20sell%C3%B3%20in%20middle%20of%20a%20window%20of%20transfers%20din%C3%A1mica%20forRiver%20Plate.%20Before%20hab%C3%ADan%20arrived%20Fausto%20Vera,%20An%C3%ADbal%20Moreno%20y%20Mat%C3%ADas%20Vi%C3%B1a, who%20debuted%20in%20the%20victory%20by%201-0%20against%20Barracas%20Central%20by%20el%20TorneoApertura.%20Vera%20arrib%C3%B3%20from%20del%20Atl%C3%A9tico%20Mineiro%20mediante%20a%20cesi%C3%B3n%20withcharge%20of%20USD%20500,000%20y%20una%20opci%C3%B3n%20of%20purchase%20approximada%20a%20USD%204%20million.%20In%20the%20case%20Moreno,%20River%20Plate%20acquiri%C3%B3%20el%20100%%20of%20passes%20from%20Palmeiras%20for%20USD%207million.%20Vi%C3%B1a,%20for%20%C3%BLast,%20arrives%C3%B3%20a%20pr%C3%A9stamo%20from%20Flamengo,%20in%20similar conditions%20 to the%20Argentine midfielder%20.
The agreement for the arrival of Páez established advantageous conditions for RiverPlate: the loan does not require any financial outlay and provides for the possibility of Chelsea recovering it in the middle of each year, depending on the player’s performance.In addition, the Argentine institution obtained a window right in case of a future sale.In this regard, coach Marcelo Gallardo said: “Chelsea also thought of us, that is why they gave us the player free of charge, because they believe that he is a player who is still developing and they believe that the best option is to give us the possibility that we can continue developing him.”
Gallardo, after the recent victory against Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, offered details about his characteristics: “He can play behind the nine, as a hook or outside. We will also see how he adapts to our dynamics and Argentine football, but he has good passing quality, he is talented, he has a good long-distance shot.” He also praised the monitoring that River Plate carried out on the Ecuadorian: “We loved watching, he is a young talent that emerged very quickly and”He quickly emigrated to an important club like Chelsea. He had no continuity and we tried in June, although it could not happen. We continued to have some contact and this possibility between clubs arose.”
Upon his arrival in Buenos Aires, Páez’s presence generated expectations among the media and fans, who witnessed his first steps as reinforcement.Subsequently, the player underwent medical examinations prior to signing the contract at the Monumental stadium.He will thus be the fourth Ecuadorian to wear the River Plate shirt, after Abel Casquete, Juanito Cazares and Arturo Mina.
The career of Kendry Páez, born in Independiente del Valle football, is characterized by a premature emergence.At the age of 15 he made his debut in the Ade Ecuador Series and scored a goal against Mushuc Runa.Chelsea made his signing official in 2023 with a payment of 10 million euros (about USD 12 million), according to the Transfermarkt portal.The English club highlighted at the time: “The Ecuadorian, who will join Chelsea after turning 18, has already earned a reputation in South America as one of the brightest and most creative young talents of the moment, thanks to his combination of skillful dribbling along with the vision and technique to open defenses with his passes.”
Before arriving in Europe, Páez also left his mark on the Ecuadorian national team. He started with the senior team in the 2-1 victory against Uruguay during the South American Qualifiers at just 16 years old.His official record totals 91 games at club level, with 15 goals and 8 assists: 70 games with Independiente del Valle and 21 with Racing de Strasbourg.At the international level, he has 23 appearances with the Ecuadorian team, where he scored two goals and provided 3 assists.
Páez lands in River Plate with the expectation of enhancing his development in a highly demanding context.Gallardo himself conveyed that challenge: “The player is happy to come, excited. He knows that he is coming to a very demanding club. It is an 18-month agreement, which is good because he will have the opportunity to get to know Argentine football, the River world, his teammates and what we want from the game. We hope to give him the tools to continue growing as a footballer and to be a contribution to us.”
River Plate thus closes its activity in the current pass book.The team, which leads Zone B of the Apertura Tournament with six points in two games, has as its next challenge the match against Rosario Central at Gigante de Arroyito, scheduled for Sunday at 9:30 p.m.
