Chelsea could recall struggling midfielder loanee after one start since November
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Chelsea are considering recalling Kendry Paez from his season-long loan at Strasbourg after struggling to get minutes in France, according to reports.
Paez formally joined Chelsea in June from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle and was sent on loan to fellow BlueCo-owned club Strasbourg a month later.
It looked promising at the start, as the 18-year-old made nine appearances for Strasbourg from August to October, mostly playing as a number 10.
He only provided one goal in this period, however, and he has since played fewer and fewer minutes.
Since November, he has only made five appearances, with the defeat to Brest in late November being his last start for the club.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea could decide to recall him early in January as a result.
Obviously, the Ecuador international would not be integrated into the first team yet, even if he were recalled.
Instead, the report claims that Chelsea may consider sending him on another loan to an English club, which would open up an international loan spot for another player.
Chelsea have filled up the six available international spots, which is regulated by FIFA rules in the last few seasons.
This could prove crucial in resolving the undesirable situations of Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi, for example.
The pair have been out of the first-team picture since the start of the season, and at least Disasi could benefit from having an international loan spot available.
Recent reports suggested that AS Roma were interested in signing the French centre-back on loan, which is currently not feasible due to the lack of space for another overseas loan.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.