Author: Chandra Moulee Das
Chelsea have successfully acquired French international defender Axel Disasi from Monaco on a six-year contract worth 45 million euros (£38.5 million). The 25-year-old central defender’s addition to the team is to provide defensive cover at Stamford Bridge, especially after Wesley Fofana suffered a serious knee injury. Remarkably, Disasi showed his skills in all 38 of Monaco’s Ligue 1 games last season.
Disasi is Chelsea’s sixth signing of the summer, following the acquisitions of Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Angelo Gabriel and Diego Moreira, as new manager Mauricio Pochettino continues to reshape the team.
Having played four times for France, including as a substitute in the 2022 World Cup final defeat by Argentina, Disasi brings valuable international experience to the Chelsea team. He made 129 appearances for Monaco after joining from Stade de Reims in August 2020.
“I’m very proud to be part of this great family. I hope to achieve great things here. Winning titles. I will do everything I can to achieve these goals. I’m very ambitious“Disasi told Chelsea’s website.
As well as Disasi, Chelsea have also reached an agreement with Brighton to sign goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Meanwhile, several offers from Chelsea for Sanchez’s teammate Moises Caicedo were turned down by Brighton.
Chelsea’s pre-season games concluded with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago, successfully ending their tour of the USA without defeat. The team’s focus now turns to the opening Premier League game of the 2023-24 season, scheduled to be played at home against Liverpool on August 13.
Mauricio Pochettino’s main task is to reshape the team in order to significantly improve on last season’s 12th place in the Premier League. Several players have left the club so far this summer – Mateo Kovacic, Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ethan Ampadu, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Abdul Rahman Baba and former captain Cesar Azpilicueta.