Pep Chavarría was a shock absentee from Chelsea's squad for Saturday's lunchtime showdown at Everton, despite making the trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. He had been pictured arriving at the ground and surveying the pitch before dropping out with a small niggle, and Jorrel Hato came in at left wing-back for the Everton vs Chelsea fixture.
The late withdrawal at Everton
Standard Sport reported that the niggle was what forced Chavarria out of the side. It was a surprise because he had started Chelsea's last two top-flight games against Brentford and Bournemouth, and this was not a minor fixture in the context of their start to the 2026-27 campaign.
Chelsea have 10 points from 6 Premier League matches, while Everton arrived on 10 points as well and higher in the table. That left the visitors with no real room for another last-minute reshuffle on the left side.
Chelsea's left-side cover
Hato is the clean replacement on paper. He has 4 Premier League appearances and 264 minutes this season, and he has already delivered 2 league goal contributions. That gives Chelsea a little attacking threat from the position, even if the move also reflects how thin the options are around the back line.
Reece James is facing three months on the sidelines after knee surgery this week, which narrows Chelsea's room for manoeuvre on the right as well. Their league profile is also uneven, with 3 wins in their first 6 Premier League matches, so every change to the defence carries a bit more weight than it should this early in the season.
Chavarria's absence is still best read as a fitness call rather than anything else. Chelsea now have to make do without him at Everton, and the immediate question is whether he is available again when the squad is named for the next league fixture.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
