Chelsea confirm signing of defender Pep Chavarria

Chavarria steps into Cucurella's old spot

It's official — Chelsea have their new left-back. Pep Chavarria arrives from Rayo Vallecano on a five-year deal until 2031, worth around £16.3m plus add-ons, and he'll wear the No. 3 shirt Cucurella left behind when he completed his £51.8m switch to Real Madrid earlier in the window.

Chavarria is Xabi Alonso's 11th signing of the summer as the Blues continue reshaping the squad following Liam Rosenior's sacking back in April.

"I'm so excited to get started," Chavarria said. "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. There are a lot of people who have helped me get to this moment and I have to thank my family. They have always supported me and today is only possible because of them."

He also credited Alonso directly for helping bring the move together, telling Chelsea's official channels the manager had told him to simply keep playing his natural game at Stamford Bridge.

A slow burner who kept climbing

Chavarria's rise wasn't instant. He debuted at 18 for hometown side UE Figueres in Spain's fourth tier, before a move to UE Olot in 2018 where he became one of the division's standout performers. A step up to Real Zaragoza in the second tier followed in 2020, and by August 2022 he'd earned his shot in La Liga with Rayo Vallecano.

Four years at Rayo turned into 125 appearances across all competitions, back-to-back eighth-place league finishes, and a run to last season's UEFA Conference League final, where Rayo were edged out by Crystal Palace — Chavarria featuring in 44 of those games himself.