They say that you should never fall in love with a loan player.
We’ve not had many to all in love with over the years, to be honest. If anything, many of our loan signings in recent history have been complete flops.
For all the latest West Ham transfer news, confirmed signings and rumours, visit our dedicated transfer centre here.
Evan Ferguson, Kalvin Phillips, Igor Julio, Alex Kral, Simone Zaza, Gokhan Tore and Jonathan Calleri are just a few over the past decade who have come and gone, having failed to leave their mark on the club.
On the other hand, the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Tomas Soucek, Said Benrahma, Craig Dawson and Alphonse Areola all did enough to earn permanent moves to East London.
One player who should be on that list is Jesse Lingard, whose nine goals in 16 Premier League games while on loan from Manchester United in 2020/2021 played a major role in the Hammers qualifying for the Europa League via a 6th-placed finish.
Lingard was hotly tipped to make his move permanent in the summer of 2021 but he chose to sign for newly-promoted Nottingham Forest instead, where he struggled for form with no goals in 17 top-flight appearances.
He’s since played out the rest of his career in South Korea with FC Seoul and at Corinthians in Brazil.
And now West Ham could be on the verge of a repeat of the Lingard ‘saga’ if they fail to secure Premier League survival.
Survival could be the key to Disasi capture
Axel Disasi playing for West Ham
Axel Disasi in action against Wolves.
Axel Disasi joined on loan from Chelsea back in January amid reports that he was underwhelmed by the prospect of joining the Hammers, despite not making an appearance for the Blues since April 2025.
But since his arrival, West Ham’s form has improved significantly, losing just three of the 10 games the Frenchman has featured in.
What’s more, the Hammers have kept five clean sheets since Disasi’s debut against Burnley in February, despite keeping just one all season since then.
His impact on the team cannot be ignored, so much so that reports are already circulating that West Ham are keen to ensure he remains in East London beyond this season.
The main issue is that there’s no option to buy Disasi in the defender’s loan terms, and, of course, West Ham’s league status remains up in the air.
Relegation will end any chance of Disasi staying at the club. While survival will boost our chances, there is already interest in his services from elsewhere in the Premier League.
According to The Sportzine, both Aston Villa and Fulham are interested in Disasi’s services ahead of the summer transfer window, and that could cause significant problems for West Ham’s chances of a permanent deal.
Several stumbling blocks ahead for West Ham
Disasi playing for Villa v PSG
Axel Disasi playing in the Champions League for Aston Villa v. PSG.
Firstly, it’s not yet known how much Chelsea would want by way of a transfer fee. They paid Monaco £38.5m for his signature in 2023 and despite him now seemingly being surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, the reality is they’re going to want to recoup as much as they can for the Frenchman.
Then there’s the issue of Villa’s interest. Disasi spent the second half of last season on loan at Villa Park, making 10 appearances. He failed to impress enough to earn a permanent move, but it appears his form in east London has helped reignite Villa’s interest.
The Midlands club are also on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League, which will make a move back to Villa Park far more attractive to Disasi.
That said, Disasi does appear to enjoy playing for West Ham, which was evident in the celebrations after the Hammers’ 4-0 win over Wolves last Friday night. Disasi was filmed giving boss Nuno Espirito Santo a huge bear hug after the final whistle at London Stadium, while he has clearly developed a solid partnership with fellow centre-back Dinos Mavropanos.
So while there are a few stumbling blocks in the way of West Ham’s chances of signing Disasi, they do hold an advantage in that he’s clearly settled in well and is enjoying continuing to play his football in London.
But it all rests on West Ham staying in the Premier League. Otherwise, we could potentially be looking at another Jesse Lingard situation.