Kendry Páez arrives in Argentina: his first day at River | OneFootball

The Ecuadorian arrived in Buenos Aires and in the coming hours will undergo a medical examination before finalizing his loan deal for the next 18 months. Chelsea, who own his rights, will have the option to recall him every six months.

Kendry Páez has already arrived in Argentina to join River on loan from Strasbourg, the club he had been loaned to by Chelsea. The Ecuadorian will undergo the standard medical check-up and, if there are no setbacks, he will be at the Monumental in the afternoon to sign his contract for the next 18 months.

The 18-year-old left-footer arrived unexpectedly at the Millonario and will become Marcelo Gallardo’s fourth reinforcement for the 2026 season. The loan agreement with the London club is free of charge and with no purchase option, lasting a year and a half and with recall options every six months. In addition, the Núñez club secured a showcase right in the event of a future transfer.

“He will join us for 18 months if all goes well. It’s good for him to have that adaptation period. He’s a young talent, we’ve been watching him. He moved quickly to Chelsea, wasn’t getting much playing time, and we made an attempt in June. It didn’t work out then, but we kept in touch. Chelsea thought of us, which is why they’re loaning us a player for free. I spoke with him and he’s happy and excited to come,” said Muñeco after the victory against Gimnasia.

Since his breakthrough in the First Division with Independiente del Valle at just 15 years old, Kendry Páez has been considered one of the greatest prospects in South American football. Such was the impact he made that he debuted for the Ecuador national team at 16 and became the youngest scorer and assist provider in the history of the South American Qualifiers after his goal against Bolivia in La Paz.

Bought by Chelsea while still a minor for around 20 million dollars, Kendry Páez arrives at River after a six-month loan spell at Racing Club de Strasbourg in France. There, in a team full of youngsters (Valentín Barco and Joaquín Panichelli also play there), he was unable to secure regular playing time. In 21 appearances, he started only seven times and left with just one goal in Ligue 1.

With the World Cup in sight, the player is seeking the consistency he couldn’t find in European football. While he won’t have a guaranteed spot in Gallardo’s team, he will be able to get minutes and be the main creative alternative to Juan Fernando Quintero. Just in case, and aware that he is a gem that could explode at any moment, the London club secured a recall option every six months.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.