Competition in Chelsea's first team squad is already fierce -- and that's before we even consider the players out on loan.

Chelsea currently have 15 players out on loan (Deivid Washington has been recalled from Santos), a mix of exciting young talent gaining valuable first-team experience and those frozen out who are looking to get their careers back on track.

From the trio at BlueCo sister-side Strasbourg, which includes the Ligue 1 young player of the month, to the striker in Turkey competing with Andre Gray for a starting spot, the youngster who netted three goals in his first three League One matches, and the £19m midfielder who scored his first league goal on Saturday, The Athletic looks at how they're all faring.

Paez is the loanee Chelsea fans are monitoring with the keenest interest, given the hype and excitement around the Ecuadorian teenager.

He officially joined Chelsea in the summer, shortly after turning 18, with the deal to bring him from Independiente del Valle in his home country agreed two years earlier.

Paez, who is under contract with Chelsea until 2033, was then sent out on loan to Strasbourg in Ligue 1. In April, before the move to Chelsea, he also spent some time training with the French club, as reported by L'Equipe at the time.

The multi-club model remains a deeply divisive issue for the Strasbourg fanbase, but it is designed to benefit both clubs, with the loanees injecting some quality into Strasbourg's side while helping provide game time and a potential pathway to the Chelsea first team.

Strasbourg, who are currently third in Ligue 1, are also playing in the Conference League this season. They are managed by Liam Rosenior, who has used Paez in a variety of different positions: as a right-winger, central attacking midfielder, and striker. His game time has been a mix of five substitute appearances and three starts.

His first start was an eye-catching display in an attacking midfield role against Nantes on August 24. After that game, a 1-0 home win for Strasbourg, Rosenior told the club's media channels, "Kendry (Paez) is a young lad with a gift. He's an extremely talented player who has quickly adapted." Paez followed that up with a goal in his second start, a 3-2 victory away to Paris FC on September 21, while playing up front.

His excellent performances, which included a strong cameo from the bench against Le Havre, another 1-0 home win, saw him voted Ligue 1 young player of the month for September. It's been more of a struggle in recent matches, most notably the 2-1 defeat at home to current Ligue 1 leaders Marseille, where he was hooked at half-time, and when playing as a lone striker in the Conference League against Slovan Bratislava in the following match, though Strasbourg won 2-1 away. He was an unused substitute in the 3-3 draw away to title holders and European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Friday.

During the recent international break, he featured twice for Ecuador, starting against the USMNT, then from the bench against Mexico, with both matches ending 1-1. Ecuador have already qualified for next summer's World Cup.

Penders, a 6ft 7in (201cm) Belgian goalkeeper, also arrived this summer after a deal was agreed to sign him in August last year from Genk in his homeland.

The 20-year-old, who acted as Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper at the Club World Cup this summer behind Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen, was then also sent on loan to Strasbourg.

Chelsea fans are keeping a close eye on him, given some of the struggles they've had in goal.

Penders has a tough act to follow in Djordje Petrovic, who was on loan at Strasbourg from Chelsea last season before being sold to Bournemouth in the summer, and was one of the best goalkeepers in Ligue 1. Strasbourg then sold another promising 'keeper, France Under-21 international Robin Risser, to Lens, where he has impressed.

Cyril Olives-Berthet, who covers Strasbourg for French newspaper L'Equipe, told The Athletic: "Penders has struggled a bit. He needs to adapt to Ligue 1, he needs to adapt to Rosenior-ball, which is really difficult for goalkeepers, because his style is not to play long balls, and he's got a defence that are taking a lot of risks."

The Belgian, who is under contract at Chelsea until 2032, has three clean sheets in nine completed matches (he came off injured in another just before half-time), and was named man of the match in that Conference League game against Slovan Bratislava. However, he has made a few mistakes, most notably in a 3-2 away loss against Monaco at the end of August, where he was at fault for the opening goal when dealing with a backpass.

He started for Belgium Under-21s during their European Championship qualifying victories over Wales and Denmark during this month's international break, keeping two more clean sheets.

Sarr, a France Under-20 international defender, moved to Chelsea this summer after a deal was agreed in January to sign him from Strasbourg for €14million (£12.2m/$16.3m at the current rates).

He played the last few minutes of the Club World Cup group-stage finale against Esperance of Tunisia before being loaned back to Strasbourg for the 2025-26 season, where he was reunited with Rosenior.

In an interview with The Athletic from January this year, Rosenior was effusive in his praise of the 20-year-old. "His temperament, his athleticism, his ability on the ball... he's got everything you need to be a world-class centre-half," he said.

Sarr, who is under contract at Chelsea until 2033, has picked up from where he left off at Strasbourg, and he was named man of the match after their victory over Nantes in August. Last week, he was shortlisted for the 2025 European Golden Boy award. Only one under-21 player has clocked up more minutes in Ligue 1 than Sarr's 2,908 since the start of last season.

This season, Sarr, who also qualifies to play for Senegal, has primarily played in the middle of a back three, but also in a four-man defence. Sarr has captained the side in the absence of injured striker Emmanuel Emegha, who has agreed to join Chelsea in a permanent, and controversial, move next summer.

However, Sarr picked up a muscular injury himself at the end of September, ruling him out of Strasbourg's last three matches in all competitions, including Friday's draw at PSG.

Jackson, Chelsea's first-choice striker the previous two seasons, is now on loan at Bayern, having joined for the rest of the season on deadline day.

It was not a signing without its complications, as Chelsea initially tried to halt the move following an injury to fellow striker Liam Delap, only to recall Marc Guiu just weeks into what was meant to be a season-long loan at Sunderland to provide cover up front instead. As The Athletic previously reported, Bayern and Chelsea agreed a €16.5million loan fee, along with an obligation to buy set at €65m.

At Bayern, Jackson's role is largely as understudy to Harry Kane, who has already scored 19 club goals this season in 11 games. When Jackson comes off the bench or is given a rare start, he allows manager Vincent Kompany to play the England captain in a different role. When they are used together, Kane normally drops into a No 10 position, with Jackson ahead of him. This combination could prove useful for Bayern in the coming months, with playmaker Jamal Musiala still out after breaking his leg in the Club World Cup.

Jackson, who came on in the closing stages of the 3-1 win against his parent club in the Champions League last month, has shown some promising signs recently. He scored his first goal in the 5-1 demolition of Pafos in Bayern's second match in the competition, and set up Raphael Guerreiro with a clever one-two in the same match.

"It's a new start for me, I haven't played for a long time, but I'm getting fitter and fitter and trying to get to my best level as soon as possible," Jackson told the club's media afterwards. "It's hard to say how far I am from my best level. I didn't play for almost two months, and also trained alone." Jackson was then selected to start in Bayern's 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in Saturday's Der Klassiker, and played for an hour.

During this month's international break, Jackson helped Senegal qualify for the World Cup. They thrashed South Sudan (5-0) and Mauritania (4-0), with Jackson scoring a penalty against the former and assisting in both matches.

Argentinian defender Anselmino joined Borussia Dortmund on a season-long loan in the summer.

Chelsea signed Anselmino, now 20, in the summer of 2024 from Boca Juniors for £17million. He was then sent back to the Buenos Aires club on loan, before being recalled in January. He trained with the first team, but his progress was stalled by a hamstring injury that kept him out until May. He was part of the squad that won the Club World Cup, making his debut as Chelsea's sixth substitute of the night at the end of extra time against Benfica in the round of 16 before the Dortmund loan move.

Since leaving for Germany, it's been a sadly familiar tale. He had a superb debut against Union Berlin in August, which included a standout last-ditch tackle, but hasn't played since after picking up a muscular injury. First-choice players Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck have now returned to full fitness, which will make it harder for him to win his place back.

In his press conference ahead of the Bayern match on Saturday, coach Niko Kovac did say Anselmino was back in training.

In a sorry reflection of his Chelsea career, striker Fofana has now had more departures on loan (four) than appearances for their first team (three) since joining from Norway's Molde in January 2023.

Fofana spent the first half of last season on loan in Turkey at Goztepe, and returned to that country on another temporary deal this summer. A serious leg injury brought his 2024-25 loan to an abrupt end. He's back fit now but still out of the picture at his parent club.

At Karagumruk, the 22-year-old has largely found himself behind journeyman Andre Gray, but has begun his season brightly, with three goals in his first three substitute appearances, which included two in stoppage time of a 4-3 home loss to Trabzonspor at the end of September. His form saw him start Karagumruk's most recent game, a 2-1 loss away to Fenerbahce on Sunday, where he missed a golden opportunity to equalise in the second half.

Chelsea will hope a positive and injury-free loan spell this season will help secure a permanent move this summer.

Castledine has been a standout player for League One side Huddersfield so far this season, scoring four goals in 14 matches.

The attacking midfielder, who joined Chelsea as an under-15 from AFC Wimbledon, has swapped a tough loan to Shrewsbury Town, who finished bottom of this division, the third tier of English football, last season for a Championship promotion push, with Huddersfield currently eighth.

The 20-year-old had an outstanding match on September 2 against Newcastle United's Under-21s in the EFL Trophy, scoring one and assisting three in a 6-2 win, before scoring a spectacular goal to beat Exeter City 1-0 away at the end of the month. Castledine, who wears low socks in the style of Jack Grealish, followed that up with a headed goal to open the scoring at home to Bolton Wanderers on Thursday, although he was substituted 20 minutes into the second half of that one, which ended as a 2-1 defeat as the visitors scored twice in added time.

At Huddersfield, Castledine is playing under Lee Grant, who he credited last month as having been "really good with letting me be me" in quotes reported by BBC Radio Leeds.

Samuels-Smith, who came through the Everton academy, signed for Chelsea for £4million in the summer of 2023. As The Athletic previously reported, he hasn't featured for the first team despite being named on the bench several times but has captained their under-21 side.

In a bizarre turn of events, the 19-year-old signed for Strasbourg on a permanent transfer in July, only to rejoin Chelsea 33 days later. He was then immediately sent out on loan to Swansea in the Championship.

Samuels-Smith, who is now under contract at Chelsea until 2031, has found opportunities hard to come by in west Wales. The left-back did well in his only appearance to date, a 3-2 Carabao Cup upset of top-flight Nottingham Forest last month, but dislodging Josh Tymon, one of Swansea's best players so far this season, from the starting XI has been difficult.

American Wiley, another Chelsea loanee in the Championship, has also found game time limited so far this season, although he only returned to action in September, having been injured over the summer.

That followed a similar tale to his initial loan spell at Watford, when he joined on deadline day in February last season, having spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Strasbourg following a summer move from Atlanta United of MLS. He was injured when he signed, but went on to impress then too, and there was a positive reaction from Watford fans when it was announced his loan had been extended for 2025-26.

He is slowly working his way back into the picture there and put in his strongest performance to date against Oxford United on October 4, which followed a tough game against Portsmouth three days earlier, where he was substituted at half-time.

Javi Gracia, back at Watford for a second spell in charge and who typically favours playing with a back four, picked Wiley to start at left-back away to Sheffield United on Saturday as the season resumed after the international window. He missed a good chance to give his side the lead just before half-time in a match they went on to lose 1-0.

Kellyman felt like the pawn in the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) mad scramble in summer 2024, when he came to Chelsea from Aston Villa for £19million, with Ian Maatsen going the other way for £37.5m.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who came through Derby County's academy, joined Cardiff, now in League One after last season's relegation, on deadline day this summer for the remainder of the season as he looks to work his way back to fitness following an operation to correct persistent hamstring problems.

While Kellyman has found his minutes limited in the Welsh capital, he's shown glimpses of his talent, with one start and three substitute appearances in the league and two more starts in the EFL Trophy. He scored on Saturday, in what was his first start in the league, the equaliser in a 2-1 home win against Reading that put Cardiff top of the table.

Speaking to the BBC last month, Cardiff manager Brian Barry-Murphy said of Kellyman: "We have to be patient in terms of how hard we push and how early, because we want him to be really successful over the course of the season."

Morgan rejoined the Chelsea academy following six years at Southampton in January 2023 for an initial £3million on a three-and-a-half-year deal. He spent the second half of last season on loan at League Two Gillingham, before linking up with Peterborough one division higher for the rest of this campaign.

Making a strong start in a struggling team, Morgan scored three goals in his first three league appearances, then came off the bench to score in the EFL Trophy in a 4-2 win against Aston Villa Under-21s.

His form saw him rewarded with a start for England Under-20s at home against their Switzerland counterparts last week. He was substitiuted after an hour of a 1-0 defeat.

England Under-21 international goalkeeper Sharman-Lowe is on his fifth loan since joining Chelsea from Burton Albion in 2020, and is currently playing for Bolton in League One.

Sharman-Lowe arrived at the third-tier side fresh from a promotion-winning campaign at Doncaster Rovers one division further down in League Two last season, and the 22-year-old has been an ever-present so far, keeping two clean sheets in 13 appearances.

Although Sharman-Lowe has the lowest percentage save of any goalkeeper in the division, according to Footy Stats, manager Steven Schumacher defended him earlier this week. Speaking to Bolton News, he admitted there was room for improvement, but said fans needed to show patience, noting how Sharman-Lowe was excellent at coming off his line and collecting crosses.

England Under-20 international Dyer joined the club from West Bromwich Albion's academy in 2021. He made his Chelsea first-team debut last December in a Conference League game against Astana of Kazakhstan, shortly after turning 18. In September, he was handed a five-year contract before being sent on loan to Volendam, who won promotion to the Dutch top flight last season.

Son of ex-professional Lloyd, Dyer has played just 22 minutes so far in two appearances off the bench.

Washington, who joined Chelsea for €16million (plus €4m in add-ons) in August 2023 from Brazilian side Santos, returned to them on loan in February, at the start of their 2025 season.

However, the striker, who has made two brief appearances for Chelsea's first team from the bench, was recalled in September after a tough spell where he scored just one league goal in 17 matches, only five of them starts, according to Transfermarkt.

He made three substitute appearances for Brazil at the Under-20 World Cup earlier this month, and will now primarily play for Chelsea Under-21s until January, when potential options for his next move will be explored.

Hughes, who has been with Chelsea since he was eight, joined Wimbledon, in League One, on loan for the remainder of the season in late August.

The 21-year-old defender, who named John Terry as his idol growing up, has not played a minute in the league so far, but was named on the bench for their match against Port Vale earlier this month having featured twice in the EFL Trophy in September.

Attacker Stutter joined Chelsea from West Ham's academy as an under-14.

He was loaned to League One side Burton Albion for last season but his stay was cut short, because of injury, after one substitute appearance. Now at Barnet in League Two, the 20-year-old has played just 10 minutes so far off the bench.

Chelsea's loan players: How they're faring across Europe