Axel Disasi has brought a merciful end to his half-season in purgatory by securing a loan move to Chelsea’s London rivals West Ham United on Deadline Day.
The former France international, who came on for Les Bleus in the 2022 World Cup final, has endured a dramatic drop-off in recent years. Enzo Maresca lost faith in the mercurial defender enough to sanction a six-month loan at Aston Villa for the second half of last season. Yet, after failing to secure Champions League qualification, Unai Emery’s side were in no position to make that signing permanent.
Disasi returned to Chelsea over the summer only to find himself part of the fabled “bomb squad.” Dismissed entirely from all first-team activity, including training, let alone matchday squads, Disasi was forced to skulk around the shadows of Cobham with fellow exile Raheem Sterling for the first half of the current campaign after failing to secure an exit in the summer.
Liam Rosenior replaced Maresca on New Year’s Day and promptly reintegrated the 27-year-old centre back. Sterling continued to be left out of first-team sessions and ultimately terminated his bumper contract with the club five days before the window closed.
Having been afforded the luxury—or legal right, depending on your perspective—of training with his teammates, Disasi has been working his way towards full match fitness ahead of a winter switch. West Ham have emerged as his escape route after paying a £1.7 million ($2.3 million) loan fee, per BBC Sport.
There had been speculation of links with French outfit Lyon and Serie A side Roma but Chelsea’s capital foes have won the race. The Hammers are in need of reinforcements of any shape or size in their increasingly frenzied quest to avoid relegation.
“I’m very happy to be here, to have this opportunity,” Disasi said upon his presentation late on Monday evening. “I’m just ready to fight and to play games.
“It’s an exciting challenge. We know that the club is not at the place that it should be, but I’m here to help the team and to bring what I can to achieve our goal.”
Stamford Bridge, ironically enough, was the setting for West Ham’s latest demonstration of mixed fortunes. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side were well worth their 2–0 lead at the interval but crumbled abjectly in the second half to ship three unanswered goals. They boast the worst defensive record in the division.
Depending on his fitness, Disasi could be drafted in as soon as this weekend’s must-win clash against fellow relegation battlers Burnley after Jean-Clair Todibo got himself sent off for throttling João Pedro in the closing stages of Sunday’s defeat to Chelsea.
“Everyone knows my situation in the last few months,” Disasi acknowledged, “so I just want to get back on the field, feel the sensation of games and help the team.”
Chelsea ‘Reject’ Premier League Approach for Academy Gem
One figure Chelsea were desperate to not lose was always Josh Acheampong. The academy starlet was the subject of a late loan offer from Crystal Palace on Deadline Day, per The Guardian. Chelsea’s response was swift: no thank you.
Acheampong is by no means a regular in Chelsea’s squad yet has caught the eye whenever called upon. Capable of operating at centre back or the versatile right back slot which demands a player to move infield as well as bomb down the flank, there are plenty of reasons why the 19-year-old gem has been billed as a star for the future.
Given their own scarcity of defensive cover, Chelsea are in no position to trade away anyone with an impact on the first-team setup, however minor. There were no such problems regarding the exiled Disasi.
