West Ham pay seven-figure fee for Axel Disasi as Nuno Espirito Santo loses faith
West Ham United finally confirmed the signing of Axel Disasi late on transfer deadline day.
The Chelsea centre-back was strongly linked with a loan move to the London Stadium in the closing stages of the winter window.
However, as the 7:00 pm deadline passed, Disasi still hadn’t been officially announced by West Ham, sparking concerns that they had run out of time.
More than four hours later, though, the Hammers finally confirmed that the Frenchman had put pen to paper.
West Ham fork out seven-figure fee for Axel Disasi
West Ham submitted a deal sheet to ensure the Disasi deal was finalised, with talks over personal terms dragging on.
The defender rejected the Hammers in the summer, and there was a fear that history would repeat itself, but the move was eventually completed.
According to The Guardian, West Ham have paid a £1.7million fee to bring Disasi in until the end of the season from Chelsea.
It is a straight loan move with no option or obligation to buy in the summer.
Disasi reportedly took some convincing to make the switch to the London Stadium, with his medical having to be rescheduled several times on deadline day, but Nuno Espirito Santo got his man in the end.
Nuno has ‘little faith’ in West Ham defender
Nuno managed to strengthen the attacking areas of his squad before deadline day, but as the window neared its conclusion, it became evident that he needed defensive reinforcements.
The Guardian adds that the Portuguese boss has little faith in Max Kilman, with Disasi hopefully providing a welcome alternative to the underperforming 28-year-old.
Kilman was left on the bench again as West Ham were beaten 3-2 by Chelsea on Saturday evening, and the Hammers conceded twice in 25 minutes after he came on to the pitch.
It was the fourth consecutive Premier League game that the centre-back had been absent from the starting lineup, as a result of his poor form this season.
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