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Unai Emery has completed another transfer masterstroke and it could result in historic success for Aston Villa.
Many an eyebrow was raised when Aston Villa paid the lofty £5 million loan fee to sign Axel Disasi from Chelsea on transfer deadline day.
Did Unai Emery panic and force the deal through at the last moment? Were Villa unprepared in their search for a new centre-back? Should they have signed a replacement before Diego Carlos left? These were all perfectly justifiable questions on Villa fans’ lips before and after the dust had settled on Disasi’s arrival.
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Pau Torres was out injured, Tyrone Mings was understandably struggling to maintain sharpness so shortly after his long-awaited return, Matty Cash couldn’t seem to stay fit consistently and Lamare Bogarde was lacking confidence. With all these factors stacked upon another, only one defensive deadline day signing didn’t seem sufficient.
As it turns out, however, our instincts - albeit substantiated at the time - may have been premature as Emery appears to have delivered a transfer masterstroke. The £5 million fee admittedly remains rather steep but Disasi has already proven his worth as a sturdy centre-back option and, more crucially, as an alternative at right-back.
Villa were lacking depth in both positions and hadn’t been able to rely on Andres Garcia hitting the ground running immediately, regardless of the young Spaniard’s potential. Disasi, on the other hand, has been waiting to unleash his promise ever since stepping foot in England. The Frenchman had the odd standout performance for Chelsea but his opportunities were few and far between.
Brentford display sign of what’s to come
Disasi deservedly went home with the man of the match award following Villa’s narrow 1-0 victory away at Brentford on Saturday evening. The defender, deployed at right-back with Ezri Konsa just inside, kept the talented Yoanne Wissa, Bryan Mbuemo and Keane Lewis-Potter at bay for much of the encounter.
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Not only did Disasi complete four stunning sliding challenges, but the 26-year-old headed away pretty much every lofted delivery into the area, doing so with a competitive edge. Disasi celebrated winning back possession for his team as if he’d scored goals himself, displaying the undeniable passion he’s already adopted for the Villa.
Dribbling out from defence was another strong point as Disasi relieved the pressure on stand-in goalkeeper Robin Olsen, progressing Villa up the field. Yes, a couple of these meandering runs headed straight into traffic, but the desire to build out from the back was promising — and crucially in line with Emery’s desired structure.
Emery thrilled with Disasi
Offering Emery the chance to heap praise on Disasi in the post-match press conference, BirminghamWorld asked the head coach about his winter signing’s impact so far.
“He’s adapting with us,” Emery admitted with a smile. “When I spoke with him before he added us in the transfer window, I spoke about the position we needed to try to occupy with him, playing as a centre-back, playing sometimes as a four or a three building up on the right side.
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“He played before in other teams in this position and he accepted the challenge. Of course, when he played against Liverpool as a centre-back he played good. When he played as a right full-back at Palace and Brugge he was progressively getting better to try and get confidence.
“Today I think he went one step forward more, playing and succeeding better.”
Disasi could help Villa to Champions League glory
Villa still have to hold onto their 3-1 aggregate lead in the last 16 clash with Club Brugge this Wednesday but the likelihood is Emery’s men will be progressing to the quarter-finals, facing the winner of Liverpool vs Paris Saint-Germain.
Disasi is in line to start at right-back again ahead of Cash following his resilient display at Brentford and he’ll be keen to build confidence that he can carry into the remainder of the competition.
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Defending against the left wingers of Liverpool or PSG would be a different kettle of fish to those of Brentford and Brugge but Disasi has suggested he should be able to stop anyone on his day.
An immense team effort will be required if Villa are to progress to the quarters - let alone the semis or final - but Disasi’s acquisition certainly heightens the chances. Great spot, Unai.