Pep Chavarria was left out of Chelsea’s squad for their Premier League game against Everton on Saturday afternoon. Jorrel Hato replaced the Spaniard at left wing-back — the only change Xabi Alonso made to the team that beat Bournemouth 5-1 last weekend.

Chavarria has been in excellent form since joining the Blues from Rayo Vallecano in the summer transfer window. His work rate and defensive tenacity have stood out, while he also provided an assist with a great cross for Joao Pedro against Bournemouth.

Although Hato is a quality player who can also play as a wing-back, he is not a like-for-like replacement for Chavarria. Chelsea fans will be disappointed to see the 28-year-old omitted from the squad and may be concerned about when he will return.

With Reece James injured AGAIN, is it time to strip him of the captaincy? 😕 If so, who are you giving it to?

No timeline has been given for his return…

Why Pep Chavarria is absent from Chelsea’s squad to face Everton

The Daily Mail’s Kieran Gill has reported that Pep Chavarria was going to be named in Chelsea’s starting XI against Everton before Xabi Alonso was forced to make a late change.

Unfortunately, the left-back suffered a minor injury the day before the game, and Alonso has opted not to take any risks. Although Chavarria travelled with the Chelsea squad to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, Jorrel Hato has taken his place in the line-up.

The Chelsea boss has now provided more clarity on the situation following his surprising team selection. “He picked up a little problem yesterday,” Alonso explained to TNT Sports. “We are not certain of the situation yet because it was late yesterday.”

Hato offers more physicality and ball-playing ability than Chavarria, but the Dutchman is not as adept at getting forward down the left flank, crossing the ball and combining with the front three. Hato is also slightly less agile and arguably better suited to playing on the left of the back three than facing opposing wingers in wide areas.