Alonso Rules Out Paez, Backs Estevao Ahead of Chelsea's Carabao Cup Tie

Xabi Alonso has confirmed that winger Kendry Paez will not feature for Chelsea's first team before January, while insisting fellow teenager Estevao remains firmly part of his plans, ahead of the club's Carabao Cup clash with Leeds United.

Alonso has picked up two wins from his first three Premier League games since taking charge at Stamford Bridge, beating Fulham and Brighton before a 2-1 loss away to Arsenal on Sunday. He now shifts focus to the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, a game that could see several fringe players get a chance to impress, though Paez won't be one of them.

Speaking ahead of the match, Alonso made clear that Paez, who returned from a loan spell at River Plate last month, is not in his first-team plans for now.

"No, no. He is not part of the plans. At the moment, he is not part of the first team squad," Alonso said when asked about the 18-year-old.

Chelsea agreed a deal for Paez back in 2023, when he was still just 16, paying Independiente del Valle £17.3 million (about $23.4m), though he could not officially join until turning 18. He has yet to make a senior appearance for the club and spent last season on loan at Strasbourg, where he played 21 times across all competitions.

Chelsea's ownership group tried to arrange another loan for Paez in England before the transfer window closed on September 1, but no deal came together. With Alonso now confirming he is out of the picture until January, time is ticking for the winger to find regular football elsewhere. Leagues in countries like Mexico, Brazil and Greece still have their transfer windows open, giving Chelsea other routes if they want to send him out on loan sooner rather than later.

The picture looks very different for Estevao, another of Chelsea's young wingers, who Alonso says remains central to his plans despite getting less game time so far this season compared to under previous coaches Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.

"No, Este is ready; he's training well," Alonso said on Tuesday. "On Sunday, he had a very good impact; he has a great chance. So he's fully involved and has a very good attitude every day."

The 19-year-old Brazilian came off the bench for the final eight minutes against Arsenal and started Chelsea's 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Luton Town last month. That cameo at the Emirates came shortly after reports out of Brazil suggested he could leave the club in January, but Alonso pushed back on that idea, praising his attitude and commitment in training.

"The players that have the desire and the hunger to prove and to show every day that they are up for the challenge, it's what we want to create here in the building," Alonso said. "And Este is part of it. So he has had a very good attitude, very good mentality to prepare every game and to be ready for the team."

Estevao could get the nod to start on the right side of Chelsea's attack against Leeds, or at the very least look set for another appearance off the bench.