Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images
Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images
Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano after finally reaching a compromise in talks with the La Liga club – and the Blues are getting a duel-winning machine.
Uncapped Spanish defender Chavarria, 28, enjoyed his best season in football during 2025-26 after a stellar campaign that coincided with Rayo reaching the Europa Conference League final, losing to Palace.
Indeed, a Palace side that included new signing Maxence Lacroix and Chelsea targets Adam Wharton and Daniel Munoz. In just a few years, Chavarria has gone from second-tier left-back to the top of La Liga.
Chelsea player ratings vs Juventus
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Perhaps unlucky not to win a call-up to the Spain squad, largely due to the consistency of Marc Cucurella – the man he is replacing at Chelsea – Xabi Alonso has identified Chavarria as his priority left-back signing.
In the last 24 hours, reports indicate that Chelsea are set to complete the £16.3m signing of Chavarria, with add-ons likely to take a deal closer or even north of £20m. Below, we analyse Chavarria’s best asset.
Chavarria outdid every Premier League left-back last season
If Chelsea wanted a marauding, attacking wing-back that averages a goal or an assist every other game, then Chavarria is not the right signing. He is not an Alejandro Grimaldo, like Alonso had at Leverkusen.
Josep Maria Chavarria 'Pep' of Rayo Vallecano
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But this is a defensively solid, technically gifted, duel-winning specialist. Last season, he won a total of 127 defensive ground duels, stopping his opponents 68.4% of the time. Every 10 duels, Chavarria won seven.
It is important to note that a defensive ground duel is a duel fought in the defensive third off the pitch, often dispossessing wingers in one-v-one situations. It does not include aerial duels or attacking duels.
Comparing that to his Premier League peers, Chavarria was miles ahead during 2025-26. Typically, the best the Premier League had to offer was Cucurella, while former Chelsea left-back Lewis Hall was third.
Chavarria’s defensive ground duels (DGD) v Premier League left-backs in 2025-26
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Player Club DGD Win % DGD Won / 90 Total DGD Won
Pep Chavarría Rayo Vallecano 68.4% 3.01 86
Marc Cucurella Chelsea 64.5% 3.82 115
Lewis Hall Newcastle United 62.1% 3.24 78
Vitaliy Mykolenko Everton 60.5% 2.68 88
Destiny Udogie Tottenham Hotspur 57.8% 3.15 98
Rayan Aït-Nouri Man City 54.2% 2.72 83
Antonee Robinson Fulham 52.6% 2.51 88
How Chelsea’s defence will look under Xabi Alonso vs Fulham
It is less than three weeks until Chelsea do battle with Fulham in a West London derby to get the Premier League season off and running. All signs suggest Alonso will use a four-man defence, a 4-2-3-1 system.
Chavarria will have to compete with Jorrel Hato to start at left-back, and while the Dutchman may initially start, Chavarria will surely come into the side eventually. Alonso’s back-four is making itself pretty clear.
Pep Chavarria's stats vs Crystal Palace
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Maxence Lacroix and Levi Colwill in the middle, Reece James or Marco Palestra on the right depending on James’ fitness or whether James is used in midfield, and Chavarria on the left. That is an exciting prospect.
The pressure is now on Alonso. He has requested signings, and he has got them. Chelsea are set to exceed £350m spent on 11 new signings this summer, and that means Alonso has got to strike a chord.