Chelsea’s Kenedy set to sign new contract, head to Reading on loan deal — reports

According to reports from Get Reading and @CarefreeYouth, Chelsea attacker Kenedy is set to sign a new contract and head out on loan to Championship club Reading, presumably for rest of the season.

Kenedy spent the last year-and-a-half at Newcastle United, featuring mostly as a wide midfielder under former Chelsea manager Rafael Benítez. He returned to Stamford Bridge this summer, after failing to impress onlookers during most of the 2018-19 term with his performances at St James’ Park.

In his return to Chelsea during preseason, Kenedy was very inconsistent during matches. He mixed good with bad moments, from goals (including one against his potential new team) to failing to get past defenders way too often, even when playing in his original role as a winger.

Although his departure would leave us short of a wide attacking player, Chelsea already have four options in the squad (Willian, Pedro, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount) that would most likely leave him on the bench in most occasions. So, in terms of gathering as much playing time as possible, it is not really a bad move. Just ask Matt Miazga!

It is, however, a downgrade from playing in the Premier League, which is certainly a worry for us. But then we can only hope that Reading will serve as a platform to lift him back up to PL-playing level.