It would be hard to describe Chelsea's season this year as anything other than a disaster. Despite a positive pre-season and a faint hope that Mauricio Pochettino would be the man to lead the Blues back up the Premier League table, they currently find themselves in tenth place and closer to 17th than fourth.
The west Londoners have spent an egregious amount of money in recent transfer windows to seemingly go backwards on the pitch, but with a team crammed chock-full of exciting young talents, there could be a bright future on the horizon if they're managed well.
One of the club's most exciting talents is Ecuadorian 16-year-old Kendry Paez, who is currently still at Independiente del Valle in his home country.
His eventual development into a first-team player when officially walking through the door could help guide Chelsea to more success, especially if the club signs the latest exciting South American touted for a move to Stamford Bridge, 17-year-old Claudio Echeverri.
Chelsea transfer news – Claudio Echeverri
According to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have contacted Argentinian giants River Plate to be "informed" of the situation of 17-year-old midfielder Claudio Echeverri.
The Italian journalist has also revealed that, alongside the Blues, Manchester City and Barcelona are also keen on the talented youngster, although the latter's situation regarding FFP complicates their interest.
The 5 foot 7 dynamo has a release clause of €25m (£22m) in his contract that will reportedly rise to €30m (£26m) in the closing days of the transfer window, meaning time is of the essence should Todd Boehly and Co wish to save some money.
It would certainly represent a significant investment in the potential of the young wonderkid, but the prospect of him developing alongside Paez could be temptation enough to convince the American billionaire to splash the cash once again.
Imagine Kendry Paez and Claudio Echeverri
When clubs start to build out their squads and look to construct the perfect midfield, one that can see them through five plus seasons of football, age profile is of paramount importance.
A player could be fantastic, but if he is already over 30, an ownership generally won't want to build their team around them, as by the time some of the younger players reach their potential, it will be time to replace the more senior players, which can create a cycle which wastes time and money.
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A good example of this could be at Arsenal, where they have a team full of exciting youngsters, but a 30-year-old – and increasingly injury-prone – Thomas Partey at the centre of midfield.
This is a problem Mikel Arteta has seemingly solved this season by signing Declan Rice, but Chelsea could avoid it altogether by looking to play both Paez and Echeverri in their future midfield.
Games
22
Goals
13
Assists
5
All Stats via Transfermarkt
The former has already scored five goals and provided one assist in senior football for Independiente and is regarded as a "10/10 talent" by football scout Jacek Kulig.
Whereas, the "crazy talent" Echeverri, as described by Kulig, has one assist for River Plate in five appearances, but has been a force of nature for Argentina's U17 side, captaining them at the U17 World Cup this year.
While it is going to take some time and require some patience from both Chelsea fans and the board, a midfield duo of Paez and Echeverri could be truly immense in the future and help lead Chelsea to another decade of dominance.