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Who is Pep Chavarria? Chelsea's New Left-Back After Marc Cucurella

Another summer, another Chelsea signing. The Blues continue their busy transfer window under BlueCo ownership, adding new faces to the squad. Among them are Premier League veterans Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, plus Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and a big-money move for Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.

While Chelsea lost key players like Andrey Santos to Manchester United and Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid, they hadn’t yet replaced the outgoing left-back until recently. With just Jorrel Hato as a natural left-back available at the start of preseason, the club moved quickly to bring in a second option on the flank by signing a 28-year-old from La Liga.

Introducing Pep Chavarria

Pep Chavarria currently plays left-back for Rayo Vallecano in Spain. His career started in the lower Spanish divisions with UE Figueres, then UE Olot in 2018. In 2020, Real Zaragoza signed him for €250,000, and two years later, he was sold to Rayo Vallecano for €1.8 million.

At Rayo, Chavarria has grown steadily, appearing in 67 league games over the last two seasons and accumulating 5,264 minutes in La Liga. Despite being 28 and entering his prime years, Chelsea’s interest in him contrasts with their usual strategy of targeting younger players with resale potential.

What Kind of Player is Pep Chavarria?

Chavarria offers a different style compared to the attacking-minded Marc Cucurella. He focuses more on defense, excelling at regaining possession and advancing the ball afterward.

  • La Liga Defensive Ranking: 17th among defenders for ground duels won last season
  • Progressive Carries: Ranked 18th in La Liga
  • Progressive Passes: In the 75th percentile among European full-backs
  • Crossing Attempts: Eighth highest in La Liga, though with a low completion rate of 16.5%

This shows he does try to support attacks with overlaps but isn’t always efficient delivering crosses.

Transfer Details and Contract Status

English reports, including from David Ornstein of The Athletic, say no fee has been finalized between Chelsea and Rayo Vallecano yet. Spanish sources like Marca suggest the price will be around €25 million ($28.8m/£21.4m), which would mark a record sale for Rayo. Another report from Ben Jacobs of GiveMeSport mentions an initial Chelsea bid of €15 million ($17.3m/£12.9m) was rejected, with a release clause set at €50 million that was never seriously considered.

Personal terms are reportedly agreed upon, but contract length and wages remain undisclosed.

Highlight Moment: Goal Against Atletico Madrid

Though scoring isn't Chavarria’s main strength—he’s netted only twice for Rayo over four seasons—he once scored a spectacular long-range goal. On September 24, 2025, he struck from 35 yards out during a La Liga match versus Atletico Madrid, blasting the ball into the net in first-half stoppage time to level the score at 1-1.

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