Axel Disasi is on loan at West Ham this season, and while he may not be making headlines every week, the Chelsea defender has been quietly impressive in one key area.
While Disasi was left out of Chelsea’s plans ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, it is too soon to write off his long-term prospects with the club.
His current deal with West Ham is only a loan without an option to buy. A strong showing there could easily put him back into consideration at Stamford Bridge.
While Mamadou Sarr has returned from his own loan spell looking sharp and Levi Colwill should be back fit by then as well, Disasi is showing plenty of promise at the London Stadium.
Axel Disasi surpassing Chelsea’s centre-backs in long-ball efficiency
In his first two Premier League starts for West Ham, Disasi has completed seven out of 11 long-ball attempts, giving him a success rate of 63.6%.
That figure comfortably beats the season averages of the defenders currently at Stamford Bridge. Trevoh Chalobah is down at 38.8%, Wesley Fofana at 46.3%, and Mamadou Sarr – who just made his debut – is sitting at 60%.
It is a huge jump from what Disasi managed in his first campaign with Chelsea, where he was closer to 44%. That is nearly a 20% improvement since joining West Ham.
Of course, this comparison comes from a small sample size – just two matches – so it is too early to draw definitive conclusions.
Liam Rosenior does not put much weight on long-ball accuracy
Rosenior does not place much importance on long-ball accuracy from his centre-backs. His approach is built around drawing the opposition deep into Chelsea’s half before playing through them.
During his time at Strasbourg, Rosenior’s defenders were among the lowest in Europe for long-range passes, and he has carried that over to Stamford Bridge, often using Robert Sanchez as an extra outfielder.
The idea is to invite pressure, sometimes to a risky extent, and then pick out a pass into midfield. And while Disasi is currently boasting a 63.6% success rate with long balls at West Ham, that particular strength is not something Chelsea look for in their system under Rosenior.
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