Axel Disasi has a couple of things he would like to tick off his West Ham United bucket list over the next few months, and securing Premier League survival is only one of them.
After discussing the France international’s impressive start to life in East London, former striker Carlton Cole shed light on the warrior-like personality Axel Disasi has brought with him to West Ham United.
He arrived on deadline day with an almighty point to prove having been frozen out by Chelsea. If his first two outings in a Hammers shirt are anything to go by – Nuno Espirito Santo could not have been more complimentary after the 2-0 debut win at Burnley – why Enzo Maresca was so keen to leave him on the fringes at Stamford Bridge is a question without a clear answer.
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A World Cup finalist and a Champions League regular at Monaco, is Disasi really a worse defender than, say, Trevoh Chalobah, Jorrel Hato or Benoit Badiashile? West Ham will not care about the reasons why he lost his place at Chelsea, though.
All they care about is the impact Disasi is capable of making, on and off the pitch, as Nuno plots a Great Escape to rival that of 2007.
Chelsea loanee Axel Disasi hopes to score a goal for West Ham United
It is telling that, after just 180 minutes of action, the Hammers fans already want Disasi to stay. When asked, our TalkingPoint users could not have backed a potential permanent deal with any more certainty.
It is too early for the man himself to start thinking about that, of course. Speaking opposite Cole on the latest edition of the Ironcast podcast, Disasi is just focusing on working his way back to full match fitness, keeping West Ham in the division, while maybe scoring a goal or two along the way.
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Disasi is one shy of a quarter-century of club goals.
And, with a smile on his face, he admits that his current role in set-piece situations is not the one he’d have chosen.
“I hope to get some goals! At the moment, I’m a little frustrated because I’m doing a lot of blocking during set pieces,” Disasi laughs, as likeable in interviews as he is imposing in the penalty area. “But I need to get some goals myself!
“Honestly, I’m calm and happy to be here. I had a great discussion with the coach before the game [his debut at Burnley]. He asked me how I felt, and I told him I felt good both mentally and physically. He put me straight into the lineup.”
Disasi explains how he has kept his fitness up amid Chelsea sidelining
You’d never have guessed this was Disasi’s first Premier League appearance since he last played for Aston Villa on loan in April 2025.
It is credit to his professionalism and focus that, despite spending the last few months in the Chelsea ‘bomb squad’, Disasi was fit and focused enough to step straight in without missing a beat.
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“[In training], I do the bike, stretching, sauna, and core work. This afternoon, I’ll do cryotherapy and the hyperbaric chamber – all that stuff to be ready to play,” he adds.
“I’ve always done that throughout my career because I want to be on the pitch for every match. I have to use every tool available to be ready because every game is tough.
“So far, it’s been really nice. As you know, my situation before was a little bit crazy so, for me, it is only positive to be here. It feels great to be part of something and to be in the group. The way the staff and the team have welcomed me… honestly, thank you to everyone.
“I feel I am in the right place. It feels like a family, and I love feeling that. Honestly, I’m good.”
Hammers can move out of the relegation zone by beating Bournemouth
Relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest have appointed new managers in the last couple of days. After Spurs held ‘informal’ discussions with Edin Terzic, Slaven Bilic’s old London Stadium assistant, ex-Juventus coach Igor Tudor arrived on a short-term basis.
Vitor Pereira, meanwhile, is the fourth Nottingham Forest head coach of 2025/26. Ironically, Hammers News can confirm that Karren Brady discussed the West Ham job with Pereira shortly before he was sacked by Wolves in the autumn.
West Ham can leapfrog Forest in 17th and move to within two points of Spurs if they beat Bournemouth at home on Saturday evening. Tottenham then face local rivals Arsenal on Sunday, while Forest host Liverpool.
With a World Cup upcoming, with his club career in limbo and with his Stratford-based auntie apparently a West Ham fan, Disasi is not short of reasons to keep his fine start going.
“My auntie is a West Ham fan!” Disasi claims. “West Ham is her team! When I landed in the UK, when I said [I was leaving Monaco for] Chelsea, she said she was happy but she would prefer West Ham!
“Now that I’m here, she’s happy.”
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