Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea left Sunderland on Sunday with a 1-0 defeat, their fourth in ten Premier League games, and slipped out of the top four into fifth place on 16 points. The attack took the sharpest criticism. Morgan Rogers, a £117 million signing and the club’s top scorer with six goals, headed a free chance wide, while Cole Palmer struggled again as Chelsea lacked any clear pattern against a deep block. Alonso admitted afterwards that his side struggled to create enough.
The problem is not a shortage of forwards. Palmer, Rogers, Pedro Neto, Estevao and João Pedro compete for three places, and Alonso keeps reshuffling his front line in search of a settled combination after a tenth-placed finish last season.
Celtic have the opposite headache. Martin O’Neill’s side beat Besiktas 3-2 in the Europa League on Thursday, then moved four points clear in the Scottish Premiership with a 1-0 win over Kilmarnock, a week after a 2-0 loss to Falkirk, yet Benjamin Nygren saw a penalty saved and record signing Kasper Hogh, an £11million arrival from Bodo/Glimt, has now gone 16 games without scoring. Mika Baur also limped off with an ankle injury.
Those problems explain why a forgotten name on Chelsea’s books suddenly matters again.
TEAMtalk’s Fraser Fletcher reports that Chelsea are actively seeking a January loan for Kendry Paez, the 19-year-old Ecuadorian attacking midfielder signed for £17million in 2025. He sits outside Alonso’s plans after disappointing spells at Strasbourg and River Plate. Celtic, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City are monitoring him; Chelsea have approached three more Championship clubs, and any move must guarantee regular first-team football.
Paez scored once in 21 Strasbourg appearances, then once in ten league games for River Plate, who gave him 359 minutes. FotMob’s profile ranks him in the 79th percentile for touches and 82nd for defensive actions among attacking midfielders and wingers, but only 16th for goals.
Kendry Paez Transfer News: Should Chelsea send Paez to Celtic, and should Celtic take him?
Chelsea need a loan that guarantees regular starts, because two broken spells have already cost him a full year. Celtic offer Europa League football, which suits a left-footed creator better than the Championship’s physical grind, given his 71kg frame.
For Celtic, though, the case is weaker. O’Neill’s problem is finishing, not creating, and one goal in 21 Strasbourg games will not solve it. Paez makes more sense as a number eight beside Callum McGregor while Baur recovers, but only if Chelsea share the wages and add a purchase option.
