Chelsea make best transfer decision under Mauricio Pochettino yet as remarkable $51m deal agreed
Twelve first team members sold or released in the past two months, two senior signings made with another three teenage additions and three returning loanees later, Chelsea are over half way through their transfer business.
With Mauricio Pochettino still calling for a smaller squad despite the mass exodus of players from within – they could hardly have sold more if they tried – the last thing that was needed is probably a 19-year-old French midfielder to look after in the squad.
There is still one more game to go of their pre-season preparations and even that comes more than one week in advance of their Premier League opener with Liverpool, Pochettino could have another two players to worry about before then as the picture of his squad continues to be clouded somewhat.
One of those players could be Monaco centre-back Axel Disasi. The 25-year-old has completed his medical with the club, reports in France say, ahead of a move to Stamford Bridge for around £35million ($44m).
It was revealed on Sunday that the Blues had reached an agreement for the player, seemingly out of nowhere, with the player seen as not only a strong viable long-term option but also a short-term replacement for the injured Wesley Fofana as he recovers from a setback that could see him miss most of the season.
Disasi has already played with another injured Chelsea defender, Benoit Badiashile, during his time in France and immediately becomes the second-oldest centre-back at the club after Thiago Silva. Although it is too late for him to be invoved against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday, a debut one week later during the visit of Liverpool is not out of the equation.
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football.london says: A relatively unknown player on the elite stage, Disasi’s move is a questionable one on the surface. Unless Trevoh Chalobah is actively seeking a way out of the club, the Blues already had a twentysomething year-old right-sided defender capable of playing in a back three, back four or as a right-back.
It is believed that the club value Chalobah around £40million ($51m) as well, which begs the question why they wish to sign a non-homegrown player for the same price they value their own academy star. Is it a Cobham tax or are we all just missing something here?
Disasi is a fine player, physically he looks primed to play in England but defensively there are questions, especially in transition. For such a price, there is not too much risk and his age does make him slightly more experienced than other options. The real question is whether Chelsea are gaining much with Disasi for a transfer that will see Chalobah leave.
Hindsight will be the decider, after all it has never lost, but to say there are no uncertainties with this deal would be disingenuous. With the need for a new midfielder so strong and Lesley Ugochukwu’s arrival not necessarily an immediate first team move, it’s remarkable to see Disasi come in before other areas are addressed.
Disasi’s partner at Chelsea looks nearly set in stone. If he will be on the right of defence and working in tandem with Thiago Silva, then Levi Colwill is the man for the left centre-back spot. He has been mightily impressive during the tour of America, as many knew he would be.
Any questions over his future have now been answered, too. football.london understands that the 20-year-old has agreed a six-year deal with his boyhood club and that an announcement will not be far away.
Although some reports suggest Colwill is yet to put pen to paper on the deal, it is a quick move from where he was at the end of last season. Chelsea had been put under some pressure by interest from Brighton and Liverpool among other interested teams.
The Seagulls lodged two bids for Colwill having been so enamoured with his work for them on loan last year, but in reality neither offer was ever truly considered. Chelsea have had grand plans for Colwill for a while and their sudden progress to agreeing a deal before the season even starts is a big boost for Pochettino.
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