There is something fitting about Pep Chavarria finding himself at Chelsea. The 28-year-old was born in Figueres, the Catalan town which was also the birthplace of surrealist artist Salvador Dali, and the journey that has taken him from his hometown club in the fourth tier of Spanish football to Stamford Bridge certainly has something surreal about it.

Chavarria did not take the conventional route to the top. He made his senior debut with semi-professional outfit Figueres at 18, worked his way through Spain's football pyramid, and did not play his first La Liga game until he was 24.

From there, he spent four seasons with Rayo Vallecano, making 125 appearances and establishing himself as a dynamic, attack-minded full-back. It earned him the biggest move of his career, to Chelsea this summer.

Now, having made his Blues debut in August and begun to settle into life in England, Pep is determined to make the most of the opportunity.

'It’s been incredible,' he says when we ask about his first few weeks at Chelsea.

'To arrive at this club, this amazing club, and the welcome from the team-mates was incredible. I'm very happy with it all, with the staff, they bring me a lot of love.

'We have top players who are very competitive and they have a strong mentality. I love this because I am learning. It's a pleasure to play with these types of players because when you play with the best, you can improve.'

Finding his feet in London

Moving to a new country can be daunting, but Chavarria has quickly found people around him to help with the transition.

One of them is Moises Caicedo, who has taken on an important role as team-mate and teacher as Pep gets to grips with life in England.

'Moi stays with me always, and he is now teaching me English because I need to learn,' Chavarria explains, in his already excellent English. He is taking weekly lessons and is determined to be fluent by the end of the season.

Away from Cobham, Chavarria has also begun exploring his new surroundings with family and friends, ticking off some of London's most famous landmarks.

'The first days I was busy with my family and friends. For example, we went to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye. It's an amazing city.'

For now, though, home is a short distance from Cobham, allowing him to enjoy a balance between the buzz of London and the quieter surroundings of the Surrey countryside. That proximity to the training ground is perhaps fitting for a player who has built his career on hard work, patience and a relentless desire to improve.

A league made for Pep

If Chavarria's route to Chelsea has been unusual, his playing style appears ideally suited to the challenges the Premier League throws up. He has quickly discovered that the intensity of English football suits him.

'I think that the Premier League now is the best league in the world,' he says. 'It has intensity, a lot of quality, and the players are top. I think for me it's the best league that I can play in, because I'm a player that has a lot of energy, and I love going box-to-box and working for the team.

'In La Liga it's more structured, more tactical,' Chavarria adds. 'And here, players have more quality and are more physical.

‘It’s more difficult here because all teams have very good players. The last team in the table can win against the first. Because you play against top players, you need to be at your best level, because here, if you don't stay focused, in one second you can lose the game. You need to be very concentrated all the time.'

Learning from Alonso

Another familiar element marks Pep's journey at Chelsea. Like Chavarria, Xabi Alonso's senior career began away from the top level of Spanish football, with the future World Cup and European Championship winner starting in the country's second tier with Real Sociedad B, before establishing himself among the game's elite.

Now, the pair are working together at Chelsea, with Alonso looking to harness the qualities that helped Chavarria make his way to Stamford Bridge.

'Xabi is one of the best coaches in the world right now,' says Pep. 'I am learning a lot and I know that he wants to help me. Now I am learning and my adaptation is very good. I think that I can do more and I can improve.

'He wants me to attack and defend with a lot of energy. And we have a lot of solutions. I think that we have a team that is very complete.'

A Stamford Bridge dream

For a player who grew up dreaming of reaching the highest level, pulling on the Chelsea shirt at Stamford Bridge has inevitably been a special experience.

Pep made his first appearance for us away at Fulham before starting the Carabao Cup victory over Luton Town, where he experienced the unique atmosphere inside the Bridge.

'The stadium is incredible,' he says. 'I saw a lot of matches on TV when I was a kid. I remember that and now I say: "Wow, I'm here". You really feel the energy and the atmosphere.

'The fans are incredible and I am very happy because I see them all and I say: "Wow". The shirt, the stadium, all is incredible, and it's so nice.

From every level of Spain to the top

There is an understandable sense of pride in how far Chavarria has come. He has played at every level of the Spanish football pyramid, earned his opportunity in La Liga with Rayo and helped the club reach a European final before making the leap to Chelsea.

His career has been built on grit and persistence, rising through the ranks rather than coming through an academy, as is so often the case these days. All of that has helped him grow in character and stature and landed him at the home of the world champions. Now he is determined to ensure the story keeps moving upward.

'I want to win trophies. This is my goal,' he says. 'And I would like to qualify for the Champions League.

'Chelsea is one of the best clubs in the world and always needs to win one trophy per year and play in the Champions League.'

He also has a personal target that has long been beyond his reach, but is now firmly within sight.

'First of all, win a trophy, and then go with the national team,’ he says, before adding in a sign of his team ethic and maturity: ‘But for me, the most important is the club.'

For a player who had to climb every step of Spanish football to get here, a place in the Spain squad would represent another remarkable milestone. But Pep knows that the route to that next dream begins with what he does in blue.

'I think that we will bring victories and the fans will be happy - happy to win some trophies.'

From Figueres to Olot, Zaragoza and Rayo Vallecano, Chavarria has already proved that patience, determination and hard work can take him a long way. Now, in the surreal setting of Stamford Bridge, the latest chapter of that journey is only just beginning.