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As one 28-year-old Catalan full back leaves Chelsea, another has come in as Pep Chavarria has joined the blues from Rayo Vallecano in a deal worth €21 million (€19 million fixed with €2 million in add ons). This marks a continuing shift in BlueCo’s recruitment model under Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard looking to sign experienced players who can have an immediate impact and help guide the young players within the squad. That being said, the 28-year-old fullback has only played topflight football since the 22/23 season when he joined Vallecano and is yet to be capped by his country. What is Pep's playing style? The left back can be characterised as a tenacious, left footed defender who has a constant drive to win back the ball and progress it up the pitch, having won back possession in the final 3rd 87 times in La Liga last season, the 11th most of any player. Chavarria additionally ranked 17th in La Liga last season for ground duels won and 3rd and 4th respectively for duels won and interceptions compared to fullbacks in the Spanish first division. Last season, Rayo Vallecano predominately lined up in a 4-2-3-1, a formation Xabi Alonso has been experimenting with in preseason and the Spanish side’s formation had a level of fluidity to it, defending in a back 3 when in possession of the ball. Alonso has publicly said he likes to play in flexible formations which can change shape mid game and signing a player such as Chavarria who is used to this style could be a clear indication of his desire to alternate between a back 3 and 4 mid-game with the use of advanced fullbacks. At Vallecano, Chavarria played with a very direct winger who liked to carry the ball to the byline, in a similar style to Chelsea’s Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, a player who has impressed thus far in preseason, suggesting the two could link up well together on the pitch. It is yet to be seen how the full back would play with more of an inside 10 in front of him, in the form of Morgan Rodgers, Chelsea new £117 million signing. No matter the player in front of him, Chavarria’s movement will no doubt help Chelsea’s ball progression, he is well equipped to make underlapping runs, ranking in the top 85 percentile for underlapping runs completed and 1st for accelerations compared to La Liga full backs last season which could help Chelsea create overloads and exploit half spaces, particularly against low blocks which the blues often struggle to break down. Chavarria Vs Cucurella Chavarria is less attacking and lacks the back post presence of his predecessor, Cucurella, with just 2 assistants compared to Cucurellas’s 4 last season and an equal number of goals (1), however, he excels in other areas such as progressive carries and progressive passes, ranking in the top 90.8 and 74.8 percentiles respectively in Europe's top 7 leagues. Chavarria, however, is not an instant fix to all of Cucurella’s shortcomings, Chavarria stands at 5ft 9 inches, just 1 inch taller than Cucurella, causing the defender to struggle with areal duels, winning less than 50% of those attempted, significantly less than Cucurella despite a slightly superior height. Additionally, neither Spaniard has the cleanliest discipline records, with Chavarria picking up 6 yellow and 1 red card last season, marginally better than Cucurella’s 8 yellows and 1, red. Discipline proved a major problem for this Chelsea side throughout the 25/26 campaign, picking up 90 yellow and 8 red cards in the Premier League alone. Chavarria will enter Chelsea as one of the older players, it is important he leads by example and maintains a clean disciplinary record. The Left back certainly looks like a promising player who ticks off many attributes Alonso desires with the way he wants to play, however, with the massive uplift in form of Jorel Hato towards the back end of the 2025/26 campaign, it is yet to be seen whether the Spaniard will instantly be a nailed on starter or will be competing with the Dutchman for minutes.