A look at Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso’s plans with both Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez plus who will he target in the transfer window?
“There are players who develop later than others,” explains Jose Ramon Rodriguez. Sky Sports . “He’s taken a different path.” Rodriguez was Chavarria’s coach at Real Zaragoza and watched him closely. “He’s had to struggle a lot to get where he has.”
When Chavara joined Zaragoza in 2020, he arrived from third-tier side UE Olot. But Rodriguez knew he was capable of much more. “We saw the talent straight away. He was able to perform with intensity above the level of the Spanish second division.”
Although physical ability was not really in doubt, other aspects had to be developed. “We could see that his development could be very positive and very good. But this is a player who has improved a lot, both technically and decision-making,” he explains.
Chavarria’s mentality is a theme that comes up again and again in conversations with Rodriguez. “He was a player who sacrificed a lot, who liked to train a lot,” he adds. “The way he trained never let him down. He always gave his best.”
Rising with Rayo Vallecano
It is perhaps telling that Andoni Errola was in charge of Rio when Chavera was brought to the club in 2022. He is a coach who values ​​players who can bring real intensity to a team’s performance. Iraola loves to overlap his full backs and Chavarria can do that.
He has since shown that he can do more than just up and down, adding elements to his game, rather than under-lapping or stepping into midfield. But that reputation as one of the hardest-working full-backs in La Liga underpins it all.
Inigo Perez has helped bring more from Chavarria during their three seasons together at Rayo. The player naturally describes him as the best coach he has worked with, allowing him to flourish as a modern full-back involved in all aspects of the team’s game.
The stats show what he can do.
For Perez and Chavarria, last season was the pinnacle as the humble Madrid club made history by reaching the European final. Chavarria was a key outlet for Rayo, racking up over 2,000 touches in La Liga and providing a series of crosses from the wing.
Chawria was named among the top ten players for open play and corner-winning crosses. But it was a dual role for Rao as he was among the top ten players in intercepting crosses and winning possession in the defensive third.
Are we talking about a player with the stick of his left foot who could be a creator for Chelsea in the way Alex Grimaldo was for Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen on the left. Probably not. But as a willing runner who spreads plays, he can still have a significant role.
Image: Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavara’s statistical strengths
Concerns about adaptability
Inevitably, there will be question marks over his credentials, questions that he will have to answer. Chawria has never even played overseas, let alone the Premier League, perhaps the most physically demanding domestic competition of them all.
Although strong and full of runs, can he be targeted at set-pieces given the unusual emphasis on that aspect of the game in the modern Premier League? That’s a potential weakness, though it’s a challenge that the tenacious Coquirella managed to overcome.
Chavarria’s end product in attack will also need to improve. There was a stunning strike against Atletico Madrid in September but it was his only goal last season. In fact, he had more red cards, including a late one against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
Image: Pep Chavarria finds the top corner from distance for Rayo Vallecano against Atletico Madrid.
What the rest of us don’t see
But Rodriguez is backing her to step up because of her attitude. What the television cameras don’t pick up but the background check is that Chawria has the right mindset. “He is a team player who gives 200 percent every day,” he reveals.
“He’s a great teammate who creates a great atmosphere and every team-mate wants to have him in the dressing room.” Those qualities are more difficult to measure but Alonso will be well aware that more commitment is needed from this Chelsea squad.
Chavarria points this out. “When he was with us in Zaragoza and there was a time when the team was not doing well, he was the player who wanted to improve, wanted to do the right thing, never made excuses.”
Image: Lamin Yamal of FC Barcelona and Pep Chavarria of Rayo Vallecano compete for the ball during a La Liga match in February 2025.
Man helps raise standards.
How will Chelsea supporters welcome such a player who will maintain quality when others slip? It’s neither a teenage sensation nor a makeover superstar, but Chawria could still be a bargain that symbolizes a shift in identity.
“When he went to the second division, the demand increased and it increased again in the first division,” says Rodriguez. Every step along the way, Chawria has shown he can handle it. “That mentality makes you think he can reach a higher level.”
If the Premier League is the next step, Chawria will have to prove people wrong again. But he has done it before and his old coaches are backing him to do it again. “If he goes to Chelsea it’s because he deserves it.” Not your typical signature. But maybe right.
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