West Ham United star El Hadji Malick Diouf says it’s “crazy” that Chelsea had a player as good as Axel Disasi and didn’t use him.
Disasi has made an instant impact at West Ham United after joining the club on loan from the Blues during the dying embers of the January transfer window.
While Disasi could return to Chelsea after his loan with West Ham ends, he remains a crucial figure here in east London for now.
They say never fall in love with a loan player, but we’ve all done it before 😂
A graphic asking West Ham United fans when they last loved a loan player as much as Axel Disasi.
Credit; Getty Images/Izzy Poles – AMA
Prior to joining the Hammers, the Frenchman was in the infamous “bomb squad” at Chelsea, forced to train with the U21s and away from the first team until Liam Rosenior’s arrival.
Diouf thinks that was “crazy”.
Diouf hints that “machine” Disasi should have played more often at Chelsea
Diouf was speaking to West Ham’s official website.
When talking about his teammate, the Senegal international said: “He played for Chelsea, so he knows the league. It was crazy he stayed for such a long time and he didn’t play, but when he came here, he showed that he’s a machine!
9 cup finals left in the PL this season – who should start alongisde Axel Disasi? 🤔
A split image showing Dinos Mavropanos playing for West Ham United and Jean-Clair Todibo playing for West Ham United.
Credit: Getty Images/Rob Newell – CameraSport
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“I’m really happy for him. He’s a good defender and I think he helped us a lot.”
Chelsea’s recruitment model is controversial to say the least. While it has worked for them to a certain degree, the fact that players like Disasi and Raheem Sterling were cut adrift from the first team summed up their often scattergun approach.
It would perhaps be too much to suggest that Chelsea are missing Disasi, but he’s certainly proving he’s far too good to be left out of the picture entirely.
Axel Disasi celebrates after West Ham United beat Fulham in the Premier League.
Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Axel Disasi gamble could save West Ham United millions
West Ham paid around £1.7million to sign Disasi on loan from Chelsea for a very limited amount of time.
That certainly seemed expensive, particularly for a player who hadn’t played a senior game of football at a professional level since April 2025.
Right now, however, that initial investment looks like it could be enough to keep West Ham in the Premier League, thereby saving them millions.
It was a calculated gamble and while West Ham are clearly not out of the woods yet, they are much closer to safety following Disasi’s arrival.
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