West Ham United eventually secured a deal for Axel Disasi from Chelsea on loan for the remainder of the season late on transfer deadline day.
Disasi joins West Ham in the midst of a relegation battle, and the Hammers fans are hoping he will be able to help tighten things up at the back.
There is a theory that West Ham weren’t convinced by Disasi in the first place.
It’s not too long ago that Axel Disasi snubbed West Ham – so what has changed? 👀
To be fair, it won’t matter if he keeps us up 😂
A graphic showing Axel Disasi's opening message to West Ham fans.
Credit; Getty Images/James Baylis – AMA
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However, they signed him in the end through sheer desperation, after missing out on their other transfer targets.
Disasi’s West Ham move nearly failed to materialise, after his medical was rescheduled on numerous occasions late on deadline day.
There were also suggestions that Disasi was waiting for AC Milan to make a move for him before committing to West Ham.
If true, that isn’t a great sign.
Axel Disasi applauds Chelsea fans
Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images
However, there’s an even bigger issue that West Ham could face with Disasi.
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West Ham fans should be concerned about Axel Disasi issue
Firstly, it’s worth highlighting that Disasi really struggled to establish himself in the Premier League.
That statement is true regarding the Frenchman’s performances for both Chelsea and Aston Villa.
Now the Hammers could face a big problem.
Disasi has not played a competitive match since April, when he was at Villa.
The five-capped France international hasn’t played at all for Chelsea’s first-team this season.
Axel Disasi before Aston Villa play Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images
That means he will be seriously lacking match practice right now.
Nuno Espirito Santo throwing him into action straight away could be a dangerous move on two fronts.
He will likely be so far off the pace and even if he’s not, he will risk injury by being thrown in at the deep end, having not played for nine months.
The thing is, he will need at least five games to get fully up to speed in the Premier League, by which time, West Ham’s situation could look even bleaker than it already is.
Why didn’t the West Ham recruitment team and ownership push harder to sign not one, but two centre-backs as soon as the January transfer window opened?
Another problem West Ham face despite Axel Disasi signing
Even if West Ham signed William Saliba from Arsenal, it wouldn’t fix their serious defensive deficiencies overnight.
Good teams defend from the front, with a structure and system that makes things easier on their centre-backs.
On a scale of 1-10, how much does Axel Disasi actually improve West Ham’s defence? 👀
Not to knock him as a player, but he’s hardly played in months!
Chelsea outcast Axel Disasi in rare first-team action
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
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However, West Ham do not have that structure in place.
The Hammers are so easy to play through, both on the wings and through the middle of the pitch.
Disasi may actually perform well for West Ham and still won’t be able to help them, because the entire team do not defend well enough from the front.
The Hammers have a lot of work to do if they are to avoid relegation.
And if West Ham fans think Disasi will solve all of their problems, they will be in for an unpleasant surprise.
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