Chelsea have completed their newest signing of the transfer window, and it’s left-back Pep Chavarria, from Rayo Vallecano. The 28-year-old Spaniard is expected to compete with Jorell Hato for a starting position on the left flank. With Marc Cucurella joining Real Madrid, the LB position is now up for grabs.
Chavarria, who signs a five year deal, and moves over on a deal worth €19m, plus €2m in add-ons, joins the likes of Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson (who remains out injured), transfer fee record breaker Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Valentín Barco as new arrivals this summer.
Welcome to Chelsea, Pep. ☕️ pic.twitter.com/oq1KPncIzs
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 12, 2026
Chelsea vs Real Sociedad Club Friendly FYIs
Kickoff: 2pm British Standard Time
Date: Saturday, Aug 15th, 2026
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Blues Team News
Yes, it is once again an extremely busy summer transfer window at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea seeing a lot of outgoings as well. The outbound includes defender and academy product Trevoh Chalobah, who saw his nearly two decades long relationship with the club come to an end on Sunday. Chalobah joined Como on £30m deal.
Injury wise, Sunday saw Mamadou Sarr replaced in the starting XI by youngster Olutayo Subuloye, prior to kickoff of the 3-3 draw with Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
Chelsea did issue a public statement at the time of the lineup switch, but have yet to release an update since. It has been reported that he suffered a knock of some sort, but no one seems to know the specificity or severity at this time.
Sarr has been strongly linked with a move away this summer, but in the wake of his withdrawal against JDT, his club future now remains even more in question. And the Blues now have a second new injury concern, in Aaron Anselmino, who was forced off around 30 minutes into the disappointing stalemate on Sunday.
Its being reported that Anselmino also suffered a knock, but other than that, not much is known about his condition. Both Sarr and Anselmino are doubts against Sociedad on Saturday.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.