After turning 18 last month, Paez was said to be disappointed after not being selected by Maresca for the Club World Cup this summer. The Ecuadorian wonderkid signed with Chelsea from Independiente del Valle in June 2023 and has been rumoured to be linked with sister club Strasbourg in a summer move.
However, it was good news for Paez who was confirmed to be a part of the Blues squad this week who are preparing to face ES Tunis this week in a bid to secure a place in the next round of the competition.
"Kendry (Páez) is with us. He asked to spend time with us and train.
“We'll see what the plan is in the next few weeks."
Andrey Santos and Djorde Petrovic have been used as an example over how a temporary stay at Strasbourg can be beneficial and Paez may follow in his footsteps over the next few months as first-team football is unlikely to come around next season. Maresca also confirmed that Reece James and Nicolas Jackson had missed training this week, which could be a worrying sign for the club.
"Reece didn't train because he was ill. Levi Colwill was also ill, but he took part in the session.
"Nico was not in the session this morning. It's the day before the game and he was not with us as a result.”