Pep Chavarría has travelled a long way from watching English football as a boy to making an impression under the lights at Stamford Bridge. The 1998-born defender from Figueres admits the ground still carries a sense of occasion for him, having grown up seeing so many matches on television and now finding himself in the middle of it.
His route has been properly earned rather than hurried. Chavarría first appeared for hometown Figueres in Spain’s Tercera División at 18, then spent 2018 to 2020 with Olot in Segunda B. Zaragoza gave him three seasons in the Segunda División between 2020 and 2023, before Rayo Vallecano brought him into La Liga, where he made his top-flight debut at 24 and remained until 2026.
Chelsea paid €19m for the former Rayo player during the summer window, and his opening weeks suggest that the size of the stage is not weighing heavily. He won the penalty which started Chelsea’s recovery from 2-0 down against Leeds in a 6-3 League Cup victory, then registered his first Premier League assist in last weekend’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth.
That contribution came after Morgan Rogers found him on the left. Chavarría pushed on beyond Rogers and delivered a carefully judged pass behind the Bournemouth line for João Pedro to finish from close range. Paul Merson was taken by the move, praising the overlapping run and the quality of the delivery, and described Chavarría as an excellent signing who looked like “a proper footballer”.
There was industry as well as polish against Bournemouth. Operating as the left wing-back in Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-2-1, Chavarría made two crosses, more than any Chelsea player apart from one teammate, and produced five clearances, the highest total in the side. He completed one of two dribbles and contested eight duels, winning three.
Chavarría believes there is more to come. “I think I can improve and offer even more,” he said, while crediting Alonso’s role in his settling-in period. “He is one of the best managers in the world at the moment. I know he wants to help me and I am learning a great deal. My adaptation has been good.”
The Premier League, he feels, suits the engine in his game. He sees La Liga as more organised and tactical, while England demands intensity alongside quality. For a player who enjoys covering the full pitch and doing his work for the side, that is no complaint. The margin for error is thin, he said: lose concentration for a second against elite opponents and a match can disappear.
His ambitions stretch beyond a promising start. Chavarría wants silverware at Chelsea and recognises the expectation around a club which expects a trophy each season and Champions League football. A call-up to the national team is another target, though he insists Chelsea comes first for now. After a climb through Spanish football’s divisions, Stamford Bridge is beginning to look less like a childhood picture and more like his working ground.
