Axel Disasi quickly won over everyone at West Ham United – the coaching staff, his teammates, his family, and the club itself. The French centre-back moved to East London after a period of stagnation at Chelsea. Remarkably, he required almost no adjustment period, quickly establishing himself as a key player in West Ham's defense.  

Axel Disasi's arrival on the transfer deadline day in early February has undoubtedly played a key role in West Ham United's recent resurgence. In his seven appearances, the team has kept four clean sheets, won four, and suffered only one defeat.  

Ahead of the home game against Manchester City, manager Nuno Espirito Santo praised the 28-year-old defender for quickly and smoothly integrating into the team's system, a sentiment echoed by Axel Disasi himself.  

He said: "So far, my experience at West Ham has been very pleasant, and everything has gone very smoothly. My situation at Chelsea was a bit complicated, so it's great to have been able to integrate into the team and become a part of it. Everyone has been very kind to me."  

“I want to thank the fans, my teammates, and everyone at the training ground because I immediately felt like I was part of this family and that I was in the right place. I think the team is very united and everyone is working toward the same goal, which is to ensure that we stay in the Premier League.”  

“When I arrived here, I found that the whole team was united and working hard. Everyone knows that we are in a less than ideal situation right now, but we are fully capable of doing better. As long as we continue to stay united and build on the work of the past few weeks, I believe we can meet the challenges.”  

In addition to the reasons mentioned earlier, Axel Disasi said he has an extra motivation to help West Ham United avoid relegation. He said: "My family is very happy about my move, especially my aunt. She lives in Stratford and is a big West Ham United fan."  

“My mother is from Angola and my father is from Congo. Although we grew up near Paris, my aunt lives in London. She was very happy when I transferred to Chelsea in 2023, and she was ecstatic when I signed with West Ham United.”  

“Among the West Ham players who impressed me growing up, there was Dimitri Payet, who had a huge fan base in France and often scored from free kicks. It’s very exciting to be able to follow in his footsteps, as well as to play for players I used to admire, like Demba Ba and Said Benrahma. My cousin has already been to London Stadium to watch my games, but my aunt hasn’t yet, and we hope to invite her to be our guest of honor as soon as possible.”  

Image source: Internet/West Ham United official website