The term ‘wonderkid’ gets thrown about way too often these days; still, the Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle have a true wonderkid on their hands in the form of Kendry Páez, and his future has already been decided.
The 16-year-old has broken into the senior squad at his club and has dazzled for his nation at both u17 and u20 competitions – quite a remarkable feat for someone so young.
Premier League club Chelsea have taken note of the youngster’s obvious talent and have agreed a deal to sign Páez for an astonishing fee of £17.5M, but there’s a catch, Blues fans.
The attack-minded player will stay in Ecuador until 2025, meaning he will officially be a Chelsea player when he turns 18.
This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of Kendry Páez, looking at what Chelsea fans have to look forward to.
The analysis will provide some insight into how he has suited Independiente Del Valle’s tactics and why he has been able to make the impressive step up the national u20 side so quickly.
It has also been recently confirmed that one of the highest-rated managers in world football, Mauricio Pochettino, will become the new manager at Stamford Bridge – his contract is a two-year deal with an option for a third year.
If things go as planned for the former Tottenham Hotspurs boss, Páez may get to work closely with a manager who has garnered a reputation for developing young players in a first-team setting.
It is worth noting that any data included in this scout report does not include Páez’s statistics from the U17 World Cup, which is currently taking place.
Thus, the data used is taken from Páez’s performances in Liga Pro 2023, Copa Libertadores 2023, Sudamericano U17 2023, and U17 national friendlies dating back to 2022.
This will be labelled as “all comps” on the relevant data graphics.
Kendry Páez Player Profile
Páez, in a nutshell, is an attacking midfielder blessed with the versatility and ability to play on either flank or through the middle.
During his time with the Ecuador youth teams over recent months, he has had a varied role – from playing as a number 10 to playing on the right side of a midfield three to playing as a right attacking midfielder, and more – this is an early indicator of his ability to be effective in several roles.
For Independiente, the 16-year-old has achieved a similar versatility, playing in winger roles on either flank as well as appearances in attacking midfield roles.
Kendry Páez Heat Maps
Kendry Páez Off-the-ball Aggression
It’s also somewhat refreshing to see an attack-minded player who is individually aggressive: someone whose instincts tell them to go and hunt the ball even if it strays from the team’s tactical path.
In his time so far, Páez has brought exactly this to the table, showing not only the desire and energy to execute a press but also the timing and awareness to do so in the right moments and areas.
In this
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