TalkSPORT pundit Danny Murphy says he is “surprised” that Chelsea defender Axel Disasi turned down a deadline day move to West Ham.

It has been reported that the 27-year-old was ‘reluctant’ to join the Hammers on loan, despite the fact that he has no future at Stamford Bridge. Asked for his thoughts on the matter, Murphy said:

“Any player would usually jump at the chance to play some football. So yeah, I’m surprised.”

It is believed that Disasi was holding out for a move to former club Monaco, but after Chelsea ran out of international loan spots, a temporary move to another team in England ended up being his only option.

While he could still leave the Blues on a permanent basis to a country where the transfer window is still open, there is now a very real possibility that he won’t play any competitive football until the New Year.

West Ham were prepared to meet Chelsea’s terms

It was claimed that a loan fee would have been required to sign Disasi, in addition to paying the centre-back’s wages in full.

However, as the Frenchman is only earning £40,000 a week, that wouldn’t have been an issue for Graham Potter’s side.

An alternative to Disasi was found

Following Nayef Aguerd’s departure for Marseille, the Irons really needed to bring in another defender before the transfer window shut. With Potter switching between a back three and a back four, it would have been difficult to cope with just three senior centre-backs until January.

As it was, the club managed to secure the signature of Brighton’s Igor Julio on loan. The Brazilian was poised to join Crystal Palace but he made a U-turn and decided to make the switch to the London Stadium instead.

Read more about the West Ham First Team Squad for 2025/26 here