Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Monaco defender Axel Disasi. Providing there are no last minute hitches, Disasi should be unveiled as a Chelsea player imminently and it won’t be long before we see him wearing blue.
The club are currently on a pre-season tour of the United States and experienced the morale boost of winning the six-team Premier League Summer Series thanks to a 2-0 win over Brentford at the weekend. Chelsea aren’t due to return to England until later this week with the new Premier League season already less than a fortnight away.
Disasi has played a part in Monaco’s pre-season plans, even though a Premier League move always looked likely with Arsenal and Newcastle also showing interest in the defender. The 25 year old started friendlies against Leeds United and Genoa so should be approaching match fitness ahead of the big kick-off in the English top flight.
Will Disasi feature in pre-season for Chelsea?
Chelsea only have one more official pre-season game. That takes place on Wednesday as they face off against German giants Borussia Dortmund in Chicago. It’s the final leg of an extensive and to this point unbeaten US tour that has seen Mauricio Pochettino’s side hammer Wrexham 5-0 in Florida before impressing in the Premier League Summer Series with wins over Brighton and Brentford, either side of a draw against Newcastle.
It looks highly unlikely that Disasi will be signed in time to feature against Borussia Dortmund. Even if he completes his medical and is formally announced as a Chelsea player before the game, the Blues may opt to simply leave him in London where coincidently the centre-back was due to play for Monaco against Arsenal in this week’s Emirates Cup.
There are no more friendlies scheduled for Chelsea but they could opt for a behind-closed doors game before the Premier League opener to help Disasi and a few other players get further up to speed.
When will Axel Disasi’s official Chelsea debut be?
It’s looking likely that Axel Disasi’s first appearance in a Chelsea shirt may come in an official game. The Frenchman will arrive injury-free and with some friendly action under his belt he ought to be available when Pochettino’s men kick off their Premier League campaign in August.
Disasi’s Chelsea debut should therefore come in one of the club’s August fixtures:
- Sunday 13th August 2023 – Chelsea vs Liverpool
- Sunday 20th August 2023 – West Ham vs Chelsea
- Friday 25th August 2023 – Chelsea vs Luton Town
- Week of 28th August 2023 – League Cup 2nd Round
With Wesley Fofana recovering from ACL surgery and fellow centre-back Benoit Badiashile also set to miss the start of the Premier League season, Axel Disasi could be thrown straight into the Chelsea side that faces Liverpool in one of the standout fixtures on the opening weekend. That would be a slight risk given the quality of the opposition and the fact that Disasi has not had any time on the pitch with his new teammates, but Pochettino may see it as a gamble worth taking.
Chelsea vs. Liverpool on the first weekend of the new Premier League season ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/9t1SWDoUeF
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 15, 2023
Alternatively, the new Chelsea boss could opt to partner Thiago Silva with one of his younger defenders with the likes of Levi Colwill and Bashir Humphreys featuring on the US tour. Pochettino is a manager who is not afraid to place faith in young players and the positive results Chelsea have secured in pre-season could convince him to hold Disasi back.
Chelsea face a London derby at West Ham in what is another tough game on the second weekend of the season. A gentler introduction for Disasi could see him feature in a home game against new boys Luton Town on matchday three while the lack of European football means Chelsea will also have a League Cup 2nd Round tie to play in the final week of August.
