West Ham start talks to sign Chelsea player given another life by Liam Rosenior
West Ham are looking to bolster their ranks before the winter transfer window shuts.
Just when it looked like Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were down and out, West Ham earned a last-gasp win at rivals Tottenham to breathe life into their fight to stave off relegation.
West Ham backed up that win with victory over Sunderland, although their efforts to beat the drop weren’t helped by positive results for Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.
Despite being one of their best players on paper, Lucas Paqueta is nearing a West Ham transfer exit, with Flamengo interested in his services.
As West Ham bid farewell to Guido Rodriguez, they have now been linked with a move for a Chelsea man who has been reintegrated back into the fold at Stamford Bridge.
West Ham eye deal for Chelsea man Axel Disasi
While goals have been a problem for West Ham this season, conceding them has been a bigger one, with the Hammers currently 18th in the Premier League table.
Nuno’s side have the leakiest defence in the Premier League, ergo, they are keen to strengthen that part of the team.
Now, L’Equipe reports that West Ham have entered into talks with Chelsea for out-of-favour Chelsea defender Axel Disasi. But other teams are also said to be interested.
The 27-year-old has not played a single minute for the Blues this season, with Disasi previously part of former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca’s ‘bomb squad’ – a group of players that have been jettisoned from the first-team squad.
However, Maresca’s successor, Liam Rosenior, has brought Disasi back into first-team training, although game time for Chelsea this season seems unlikely.
The report adds that Chelsea are mindful of not exceeding the international loan limit of seven players; therefore, they may look to send Disasi out to an English team for the rest of the season.
If they free up space with their international loanees, the centre-back could head to Europe before the window shuts on 2 February.
West Ham must be wary of poor track record
West Ham have spent a lot of money on signings in recent years, but where has it got them? In the bottom three of the division.
Over the past few seasons, West Ham have made some questionable defensive signings, with £40 million recruit Max Kilman arguably at the top of that list.
Jean-Clair Todibo and Nayef Aguerd were signed in big-money deals, but the former has struggled at London Stadium, and the latter has since been sold.
| West Ham’s underwhelming defensive signings | Transfer fee |
| Max Kilman from Wolves | £40m |
| Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice | £36.3m |
| Nayef Aguerd from Rennes | £30m |
| Issa Diop from Toulouse | £22m |
| Konstantinos Mavropanos | £18m |
Konstantinos Mavropanos has faced injuries around decent form, but arguably, he has had more misses than hits since arriving at West Ham in 2023 from Stuttgart.
If Disasi was signed on loan, that may be a much lower-risk option for West Ham. However, he hasn’t played at all this season and last term, he featured very infrequently at Chelsea and then out on loan at Aston Villa.
Whether he is the answer to their defensive issues remains to be seen.
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.