Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Pep Chavarria has gone under the radar at Chelsea, which is hardly a surprise when you look at the other pieces of transfer business they did during the summer.
The Blues spent £117m on Morgan Rogers, while Maxence Lacroix cost £52m. Those are not small fees.
In contrast, Chelsea paid very little for Chavarria, signing the defender from Rayo Vallecano for just £16m. Bearing that in mind, he could end up being a bargain for the club.
Chelsea player ratings vs Leeds
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Chavarria made his second start for Chelsea on Wednesday night after being named in Xabi Alonso’s team to face Leeds United.
Chelsea came back from 2-0 down to win the Carabao Cup tie 6-3, and Chavarria played a huge role in that turnaround.
It was the left-back who won Chelsea their penalty on the night, which Cole Palmer emphatically converted.
According to Sofascore, Chavarria also made two key passes, so he was a threat going forward for the Blues.
Xabi Alonso, Manager of Chelsea
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
While his side did concede three goals, defensively, Chavarria was not too bad either. The 28-year-old made seven defensive contributions in total, including two successful tackles, two interceptions and two clearances.
There are some similarities between Chavarria and Marc Cucurella, but watching him play against Leeds, he also reminded me of Jordi Alba.
Chavarria perhaps does not have the same kind of pace as the Barcelona and Spain legend, but he looks as tenacious as his compatriot and just as annoying to play against. He harries attackers down and chases everything. The former Rayo man has great energy!
Chavarria was certainly one winner to come from Chelsea’s win over Leeds and will now be pushing for his first Premier League start.
Jorrel Hato has replaced Cucurella on the left side of Chelsea’s defence, but if the Dutchman is not careful, he could lose his starting spot to Chavarria.