The 26-year-old central defender heads to northern Spain to join a side that finished two places clear of safety last season.

A USA international, Miazga signed for Chelsea in January 2016 from New York Red Bulls, where he had progressed through the ranks and made his senior debut at the age of 18.

He made two appearances for the Blues following a winter arrival, away at Aston Villa and Swansea City on successive weekends in April 2016, before helping Vitesse win the Dutch Cup on loan in Arnhem the following season. That was the club’s first major trophy triumph in their history and earned him a return spell in the Eredivisie in 2017/18.

The American then spent six months in France with Nantes, where he made nine appearances before switching to Reading in the Championship. During 18 months at the Madejski Stadium, he played 42 times, helping the Royals to survival initially and then a 14th-place finish in 2019/20.

Following the pandemic pause, Miazga returned to Europe with Anderlecht in Belgium, where he played 33 games and scored one goal.

After featuring for Thomas Tuchel’s Blues in pre-season, the defender now moves to La Liga for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign. Alaves were beaten 4-1 by Real Madrid on the opening weekend.