Best gamble: Axel Disasi proving Laurence Stewart’s £38m Chelsea gamble right after Chelsea transfer
Best gamble: Axel Disasi proving Laurence Stewart’s £38m Chelsea gamble right after Chelsea transfer
Axel Disasi has quickly endeared himself as a fan favourite among the Chelsea supporters following his £38million move from AS Monaco last summer. The 26-year-old has had his ups and downs in a Blues shirt but remains Mauricio Pochettino’s most trusted player this season.
Disasi has recorded over 3,600 minutes in all competitions this term less than 12 months after moving to Stamford Bridge – making him Chelsea’s most-used player in the Pochettino era. There have been some mistakes from Disasi in that time but thus far the good outweighs the bad and there have been plenty of positive moments.
“I feel I have improved since the start of the season,” the Frenchman said to Chelsea’s official website. “With my English, my physicality, my mentality also.
“When I came here, I was curious how I would adapt to the Premier League and I think I have done well. It takes time but that is the process, you know? The process is good and you have to keep pushing to improve again and again.
“I have enjoyed it a lot. It was something that I wanted, to play in England, so I’m very happy and very proud to play here. I think that my adaptation has been good, I have played a lot of matches, and I feel more comfortable game by game with my team-mates.”
Disasi’s English is very impressive. The Frenchman had spent his entire professional career playing in his homeland prior to moving to the Premier League to represent the Blues. But he is consistently putting himself forward for media duties – win, lose or draw – to face journalists asking him questions in English.
In his short time at Chelsea, Disasi has been used in numerous positions, whether that be at right-back or on the right or left side of a back-two. For the majority of the season, he has partnered the experienced Thiago Silva, but he has also been used with the likes of Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah.
“I’m happy every time I’m on the pitch because this is what we work for,” the France defender continued. “I will work to play more games and to give confidence to my teammates and the staff as well.
“Benoit, I know from Monaco, Thiago Silva is an experienced player, Levi is a young player and Trevoh is near to my age. And all of them are different.
“I like to play with each of them – and I stay the same with each of them. Just because Benoit or Levi is younger than me, it doesn’t mean I can’t learn something from them. I learn from everyone, I listen to everyone and I speak to everyone.
“When I can help them, I help. And when they can help, I will listen.”
Laurence Stewart, one of Chelsea’s technical directors, played a significant role in acquiring Disasi. Stewart was once in the same position at Monaco, appointed a couple of months before Disasi was signed by the Ligue 1 outfit.
Signed until the summer of 2029, Disasi looks to have a lengthy career ahead of him at Stamford Bridge. While it has not been the perfect debut season for the defender, by any means, what he has done in such a short space of time is highly impressive. And his reliability in terms of how often he is available is right up there with the most impressive of his numerous attributes.
