Of all the mistakes Graham Potter made during eight months in charge of West Ham United, not signing Axel Disasi when he had the chance to surely sits among the most egregious.
It has emerged that Potter turned down Chelsea misfit Disasi last summer, a few months before Nuno Espirito Santo jumped at the chance to bring the five-time France international to the London Stadium.
According to The Athletic, Nuno’s much-maligned West Ham United predecessor ‘had reservations’ over Axel Disasi’s ability to thrive as a ball-playing defender in Graham Potter’s preferred back-three set-up.
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Now, the impact Disasi made on West Ham’s defensive numbers are well-documented. The Londoners earned seven clean sheets in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, and six of those came from Disasi’s February debut onwards.
Had the campaign began from matchday 21, when Disasi joined Dinos Mavropanos at the heart of a much-improved backline, the Hammers would currently be in a Europa League spot. Instead, nine months after the sacking of Potter, trips to Bristol, Birmingham and Bolton loom while Disasi is on the lookout for a new challenge; his hopes of a permanent stay going up in smoke.
Axel Disasi proves Graham Potter wrong at West Ham United
In fairness, Potter’s concerns appear to have revolved around Disasi’s technical ability, rather than his defensive prowess. Even in this department, though Potter’s talent ID comes into serious question.
Thriving in both a three-man and a four-man defence under Nuno, Disasi’s impressive passing range became a welcome surprise to those who may have harboured doubts about this side of his game.
Only Mateus Fernandes averaged more passes per game in 2025/26. Of all the players who ended the season at West Ham, only Fernandes, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo recorded a better pass completion rate than Disasi’s 86 per cent.
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The former Monaco ace started many attacks with accurate, ambitious clipped balls out to the wings.
West Ham’s official website, performing a deep dive into the statistics, described Disasi ‘as much of a standout in his on-ball actions as he is when defending the last line’. His accuracy in ‘long passes’ and in ‘progressive passes’ put the Frenchman in the top ten per cent for both categories.
Nuno may have been the coach under whom West Ham’s relegation was confirmed. But as the roof caved in, it was Potter whose faulty building work led to the foundations collapsing.
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