Chelsea sign Chavarria in £16m deal - who is the left-back?

Pep Chavarria joins Chelsea on a five-year deal, having played in the Spanish lower leagues until he was 24.

Chelsea have secured the services of Spanish left-back Pep Chavarria in a £16.3m deal, as revealed by BBC Sport. The 28-year-old, who has completed his move from Rayo Vallecano, is expected to bring his experience from the lower tiers of Spanish football to the Premier League. Chavarria's journey to Stamford Bridge has been anything but conventional, as he only made his La Liga debut at the age of 24, an age when many players have already established themselves in the top flight.

After spending four years at Rayo Vallecano, Chavarria has finally realized his dream of playing for one of Europe's elite clubs. He expressed his excitement about joining Chelsea, stating that it is a dream come true for him. Under the guidance of manager Xabi Alonso, Chavarria is set to play a crucial role in the team's defense.

His signing adds depth to Chelsea's left-back position, which had been weakened by the departure of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid. Chavarria's arrival also fits perfectly into Alonso's wing-back system, which has been successful at Bayer Leverkusen. Despite the complicated negotiations with Rayo Vallecano, who initially insisted on meeting a release clause of £42.4m, Chelsea managed to secure the signing of Chavarria.

The Spanish full-back's performance at Rayo Vallecano, where he made 125 appearances and became a regular presence in the left-back position, has impressed both fans and coaches alike.

Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport Football's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.