West Ham United loans manager Carlton Cole has revealed some fascinating insight into Axel Disasi’s mindset.
Disasi, of course, joined West Ham United on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the season long after the actual deadline had passed on Deadline Day.
Prior to his arrival, there were initial suggestions that Disasi didn’t want to join West Ham.
However, a deal was eventually done, and the Frenchman is now a big part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s plans.
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Indeed, Disasi has impressed during the early part of his West Ham career and his arrival has helped the Irons strengthen a backline that was previously officially the worst across Europe’s major five leagues.
The club needed the Frenchman to hit the ground running and that’s exactly what he has done.
Speaking on talkSPORT (16:40 on 14 February), Cole revealed that he was impressed with Disasi’s attitude when interviewing him on a podcast that has not yet been released.
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He said: “We had Axel Disasi on our podcast, Ironcast, yesterday, [Thursday], and he’s up for it.
“He’s massively happy. So yeah, he’s up for it. He’s a proper soldier.
“He goes, you got to be like a soldier when you play these type of teams because they want to dismantle you. So he’s up for it.”
Axel Disasi West Ham United v Manchester United - Premier League
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Axel Disasi’s role in West Ham United’s defensive improvement explained
The France international has only played three games for the club but they account for 66.67% of three clean sheets the Hammers have kept thus far (against Burnley and Burton).
Disasi only got about 15 minutes of action in West Ham’s FA Cup win over Burton on Saturday, so it’s clearly a small sample size.
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And should we look to sign him permanently?
A graphic showing Carlton Cole's comments on West Ham United defender Axel Disasi. It reads 'he's a proper solider'.
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Still, all supporters could ask for is an improvement and the Frenchman has certainly played his part.
West Ham United do not have an option to buy Axel Disasi
Disasi’s loan move cost West Ham £1.7million, which seems a little on the high side.
However, it will look like pennies if he does enough to keep West Ham solid enough to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Sadly, the deal isn’t thought to include an option or an obligation to buy, so his long-term future beyond the end of the season remains unclear.
Obviously, much will depend on whether West Ham stay up, but perhaps it is one to revisit this summer.
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