Chelsea have given Alonso what he wants but will wing-back system deliver?

With the versatile Marco Palestra set to operate on the right, Alonso has now landed the player he personally identified to replace Marc Cucurella.

While it remains to be seen who will make up Alonso’s first-choice trio of centre-backs, new signing Maxence Lacroix is widely expected to be flanked by Levi Colwill and skipper Reece James.

That would give Chavarria, who has joined from Rayo Vallecano for an initial £16.3million, licence to roam down the left flank while Palestra patrols the right.

But exactly why was Alonso so keen to snap up the 28-year-old Spaniard?

In his first interview with Chelsea’s official website, Chavarria answered that question for himself.

“As a player, I love to attack, defend, box-to-box, and I have a lot of intensity,” he said. “I have a lot of energy on the pitch. They are my biggest abilities.”

In many respects, Chavarria is a more experienced version of Palestra, who has already impressed the Chelsea faithful with a string of fine displays in pre-season.

With two tireless wing-backs getting up and down the pitch, Alonso’s Chelsea will bring more energy than the team that toiled during a disappointing 2025-26 campaign.

As a manager who claims he does not believe in a fixed system, it’s tricky to accurately predict Alonso’s preferred tactical line-up for his side’s league opener at Fulham on August 24.

But he now has options galore at his fingertips in defence, with Jorrel Hato, Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Mamadou Sarr, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo also vying for game time.

Fofana and Adarabioyo, along with fellow centre-backs Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi, are rumoured to be surplus requirements as Alonso looks to trim to his squad to a manageable number.

But for now, the spotlight is very much on Chelsea’s latest new arrival.

A key figure for Rayo since joining from Real Zaragoza in August 2022, Chavarria helped the club record back-to-back eighth-place finishes in La Liga and reach the Conference League final last season, where they were beaten by Crystal Palace.

Chavarria added: “I’m so excited to get started. This is a dream for me as Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world.

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“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.

“I have played in Spain all my life. For me, the Premier League is the best league in the world right now, with a lot of quality and intensity. I think that it’s the best league for me.”

Like Chavarria, Chelsea fans seemingly have every reason to be excited to see what the future holds with Alonso at the helm.

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