By OkayGoal
Chelsea have brought in Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano and while it hasn’t generated the same headlines as some of the club’s other summer business, there’s a genuinely strong case that this ends up being one of the more shrewd pieces of business Xabi Alonso‘s recruitment team does all window.
Cucurella-esque OOP, Ian Maatsen like on ball?
The 28-year-old out of possession has that directness and aggression which is reminiscent of Marc Cucurella, while his movement and delivery in the final third carries real echoes of Ian Maatsen.
Chavarria’s ball-carrying is genuinely eye-catching when there’s space to attack. Like Maatsen, his relatively compact frame limits how powerfully he can drive through congested central areas, but both players make up for that with the energy and running power to consistently attack space out wide, a trait that matters enormously in the physical demands of the Premier League.
His delivery from wide areas stands out as a real strength. He’s a composed, technically sound crosser who reads where a teammate is attacking the box and picks his moment accordingly, rather than simply putting balls into the area and hoping for the best. His expected-assists numbers trail Maatsen’s in the same dataset, but that looks more like a product of Rayo Vallecano’s overall attacking output than any shortfall in Chavarria’s own end product, he’s simply had fewer genuine chances to create from, playing for a team often on the back foot.
Where he genuinely excels in the data is progressive passing. Of the three profiles compared, Chavarria attempts and completes the most progressive passes, showing a real willingness to try line-breaking balls into central pockets once possession moves into the final third even if his comfort receiving the ball deep in build-up phases is more limited. In defensive duels, he again leads the group, reflecting an aggressive, front-foot approach to winning the ball back.
The one area where the numbers are unflattering is in the air, which isn’t a surprise given his height and that is where Xabi will need to pair him with an aerially dominant centre-half if Chelsea are are to deploy a back four or in the current three-at-the-back role, Pep will be more of a specialist wing-back (a position that Palestra has occupied in the pre-season).
Pep Chavarria, an eye test
Watching Chavarria’s recent performance in the Conference League final against Crystal Palace reinforces most of what the data suggests. He’s comfortable both in a back four and further forward as a wing-back — a detail worth stressing, since there’s a perception he’s purely a wing-back profile, when in reality he shows good game intelligence about when to commit to a duel and when to simply hold his defensive shape.
Going forward, the clearest theme is his running power and directness. He repeatedly shows the legs to cover ground quickly from deep positions into advanced areas, and once he receives possession in wide zones, his delivery is genuinely high quality (accurate, purposeful crosses rather than hopeful ones). Defensively, he’s committed and unafraid to put his body on the line, backed up by good recovery pace that should serve him well against Premier League wingers who like to run in behind.
There’s a slightly scrappy, uncoached edge to some of his carrying and dribbling that won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it doesn’t come at the expense of end product, if anything, his selfless movement, dragging defenders out of position to open space for teammates, is a genuinely underrated part of his game.
Where does Pep Chavarria fit in at Chelsea
🔵🇪🇸 Pep Chavarría: “This is a dream for me as Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world. It is a big opportunity but I am prepared and will work hard to help the team achieve success”.
Here Pep with his agent David Pirri from AS1 after signing the contract. pic.twitter.com/5sue3sAQ9Y
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 12, 2026
The most exciting element of this signing is how naturally Chavarria’s profile complements the players already in Chelsea’s attack. If he holds the width on the left flank the way his data and match footage suggest, it frees up inside players (most notably Morgan Rogers) to operate centrally in the pockets they clearly prefer.
Picture a left-hand triangle of Chavarria, Enzo Fernandez, and Morgan Rogers. Chavarria as the willing runner providing width and delivery, Fernandez as the penetrative passer feeding both of them from deeper, and Rogers as the central receiver looking to combine and finish. On paper, it’s a combination with genuine balance, arguably rivalling the well-regarded right-hand-side trio of Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, and Estevao in terms of complementary skill sets, even if the individual name recognition isn’t quite the same.
There’s real purpose to his game: intensity in and out of possession, reliable delivery, and a tactical fit that looks tailor-made for what Alonso is trying to build down the left. It’s easy to see why some are already tipping this to be a far more important signing than the muted transfer coverage around it would suggest.