Axel Disasi can’t wait to reunite with Soungoutou Magassa as first West Ham words spoken
West Ham completed their winter transfer business with the signing of Axel Disasi.
Disasi sealed a deadline day loan move to West Ham from Chelsea, with the defender moving to the London Stadium until the end of the season.
Nuno Espirito Santo wanted a centre-back signing from the very start of the window, and had to wait right until the final hours to get one.
A deal sheet was submitted in time to get the Disasi deal done, and he now grants Nuno‘s long-held wish to bolster his ranks at the heart of West Ham‘s defence.
Axel Disasi ‘happy’ to reunite with Soungoutou Magassa
When a new player arrives at a club, the difference between a positive and negative settling-in period can have a major impact on the success of a transfer.
Luckily for Disasi, he will find a player he’s very familiar with at West Ham in the shape of Soungoutou Magassa.
West Ham signed Magassa from AS Monaco in this season’s summer transfer window, in a deal reportedly worth just over £17million.
The midfielder turned professional with Monaco in April 2021 and spent a couple of years in the first team there with Disasi before West Ham’s new signing left for Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
And, speaking in a pitchside quickfire questions interview following his arrival, Disasi revealed it was Magassa of all his new Hammers teammates that he was most looking forward to meeting.
“Soungouto, because I see him starting professionally, so I’m happy to see him back,” Disasi said.
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Magassa is primed for big second half of the season
West Ham’s midfield options have been significantly depleted following the closing of the winter transfer window, with James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta, Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez all leaving.
Therefore, that just leaves Mateus Fernandes, Tomas Soucek, Freddie Potts and Mohamadou Kante as the only other central midfield players as Magassa’s competition.
As such, despite only enjoying a bit part role in Nuno’s team so far this term, the 22-year-old should see plenty more opportunities come his way over the second half of the campaign.
Magassa’s last Premier League appearance came in the 3-0 defeat to Wolves on 3 January, and he has been named as an unused substitute in their last three league games.
He did, however, play 70 minutes in the Hammers’ FA Cup win over QPR on 11 January, in which he was able to grab an assist for Crysencio Summerville’s goal.
Stay up to date this winter with our West Ham transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at the London Stadium, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.