'Give everything' - Aston Villa new signing reveals why he left Chelsea and makes Champions League promise
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Aston Villa were one of the busiest teams in the Premier League throughout the entirety of the January transfer window - and they left fans nervously waiting until deadline day to confirm the much-needed signing of defender Axel Disasi from top four rivals and fellow European contenders Chelsea.
The Frenchman arrives following the departure of Brazil international Diego Carlos to Turkish giants Fenerbahce and provides further cover to Unai Emery’s backline after key injuries to the likes of Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings in the centre back area.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDisasi is primarily a centre back by trade but can also provide vital cover at right-back when needed which is expected to be equally crucial after Matty Cash’s recent injury, with the main cover at this stage coming from January addition Andrés García.
Axel Disasi outlines Aston Villa ambition
Former AS Monaco star Axel Disasi told the club website that he wants to establish himself as a dominant player in the Premier League and give everything to help the team to be successful.
Aston Villa have progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League, are still in the FA Cup and currently sit eight in the league - just seven points away from a top four spot.
“My happiness to play, my desire to play and to win,” is what Disasi told Villa fans to expect from him from the word go. He added “I’m still young, but I have experience, so I want to bring this. I’m just a guy that loves to give everything for the team, and it’s this that I want to bring. I hope we will succeed. I would say I like to be aggressive, I like to be dominant. I like to play with the ball also from the back, and I can score some goals. I am very happy to be here.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdUnai Emery’s influence
Unai Emery has long been regarded as one of the finest managers in European football. He boasts a record of winning four Europa Leagues, two French Cups, one Ligue 1 title and two French League Cups.
Though he is yet to win a trophy with Aston Villa, he has already had a major impact on the mentality of the club, by guiding them from a relegation battle to the Champions League places in just 18 months while also reaching a Europa Conference League semi-final and beating the likes of Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Celtic, Bologna and BSC Young Boys in this year’s Champions League. Axel Disasi claims that Emery’s track record and his history of developing players convinced him to make the move to the West Midlands.
He added: “He played a big part, because he explained (to) me the way that he sees things with me. Obviously, we all know the work that he makes is very great. When I spoke with him, he trusted in me, and straight after I hung up the phone, on my mind it was clear that I wanted to come here. He was clear, and he knows what he wants from me.
“That is very important. The way that I was speaking with the coach and the sporting director, they make me feel safe, and the way I was talking with them, it was very clear and very good.They were trusting in me also, so all of this made my decision to come here.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDiasi is hoping to play in the Champions League for the first time in his career and can’t wait to compete against Europe’s elite as Villa aim to progress to the latter stages of a competition they won in 1982.
He added: “It will be my first time that I play Champions League, so I’m very excited about it. I know also that the club is very ambitious, and me as well, so I hope that we will do something great. That’s why also I signed here. I’m ambitious as well. I didn’t have a limit, and I just want to go as high as possible.I will give everything to put the club there.”
Diasi is one of five new signings at Villa Park this winter while Jhon Duran wrote his name into the history books as the team’s second most expensive departure of all time.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.