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Add as preferred source on Google<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nChelsea secured a comfortable 3-1 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, the perfect preparation for the new season as a handful of new signings got their first run out under Xabi Alonso.<\/strong><\/p>\n The England, France and Argentina World Cup stars returned with Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Maxence Lacroix and Malo Gusto all featuring for the first time this summer. Valentin Barco was left on the bench.<\/p>\n Jordan Henderson is still awaiting his first run out in Chelsea <\/a>blue after injuring his arm in the immediate aftermath of the 3-2 win over Mexico, while Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo were also unused subs.<\/p>\n Pep Chavarria<\/a> also made his bow, entering the field of play on 76 minutes in place of fellow new arrival Marco Palestra. The Spaniard is finally a Chelsea player after a summer-long saga with Rayo Vallecano.<\/p>\n Following the win, in which Morgan Rogers scored his first goal for the club and Joao Pedro got a brace<\/a>, Chavarria posted on Instagram<\/a>. He underlined his delight at finally making his first Chelsea appearance.<\/p>\n He told Chelsea fans, along with a few pictures of him in action during Saturday\u2019s victory: \u201cThe first time is always special. Happy to play my first minutes at Stamford Bridge. We\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the replies, Barco posted a few blue heart emojis while Moises Caicedo replied \u201cvamo hermano\u201d or \u201clet\u2019s go brother\u201d, as did Dario Essugo. But Radamel Falcao was also among the replies to Chavarria.<\/p>\n Falcao, a Chelsea flop back in 2015-16, played alongside Chavarria for Rayo between 2021 and 2024. The Colombia legend is still playing at 40, and he commented: \u201cCongratulations, Pepito. Many successes.\u201d<\/p>\n Chavarria looked solid without being inspiring against Sociedad in his first outing following his move to Chelsea. The left-back clearly has plenty of pace, while his ability to win duels is incredibly impressive.<\/p>\n Chavarria didn’t do a bad job in the Conference League final against Crystal Palace<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n However, just 15 minutes of pre-season action for Chelsea is unlikely to see Chavarria get a chance from the off against Fulham. Realistically, Xabi Alonso will pick between Marco Palestra and Jorrel Hato.<\/p>\n Given Palestra started on the left and has been a mainstay during pre-season, it is likely that the Italian gets the nod on the left against Fulham next Monday. Malo Gusto or Pedro Neto will start on the right.<\/p>\n Reece James could also start there, despite starting in midfield against Fulham. It feels almost impossible for Enzo Fernandez not to feature in the starting line-up, if still a Chelsea player come Monday night.<\/p>\nWhat type of reaction did Enzo Fernandez deserve on his return for Chelsea?\ud83e\udd14<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
![\"Enzo](\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/08\/MOTM-1-819x1024.png\")
<\/div>Pep Chavarria receives four-word message from Falcao<\/h2>\n
![\"Chelsea](\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2290638450-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/div>How close is Pep Chavarria to starting against Fulham?<\/h2>\n
Do you want to see Pep Chavarria, Marco Palestra or Jorrel Hato at left-back next season?<\/h3>\n
![\"Pep](\"https:\/\/cdn1.thechelseachronicle.com\/uploads\/17\/2026\/06\/Pep-Chavarria-819x1024.png\")
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