Axel Disasi - Defender

World Cup Finalist

A commanding centre-back who is formidable in the air, an intelligent reader of the game and a versatile operator, Axel Disasi has joiend Palace on loan from Chelsea for the 2026/27 season.

Born in the northern Parisian suburb of Gonesse on 11th March 1998, Disasi grew up in nearby Villiers-le-Bel, where he first took up football at the age of eight.

Seven years with his local club was followed by a season at USM Senlis, before Paris FC came calling shortly after his 16th birthday. He joined the third-tier Championnat National club in the summer of 2014 and quickly began working his way towards senior football.

Disasi made his senior debut for Paris FC B in the fourth-tier National 2, helping them beat CMS Oissel 1-0 in August 2015. Three months later, he faced the same opposition again, this time making his first team bow in a Coupe de France victory.

Paris FC had earned promotion to Ligue 2 the previous season, and Disasi made his league debut against Lens in December 2015, aged just 17 years and nine months. His first professional goal followed soon after, arriving on his third Ligue 2 appearance in a 3-1 defeat by Tours in January 2016.

After Paris FC were relegated in 15/16, Disasi stayed in Ligue 2 by joining Reims, who had themselves dropped out of the top-flight.

The teenager spent much of his first campaign with Reims II in National 2 but did make one Ligue 2 appearance before becoming increasingly involved with the senior side. He made 20 appearances over the following two seasons and was part of the Reims squad which won promotion to Ligue 1 – via clinching the league title – in 17/18.

That rapid Reims rise continued in 19/20, when Disasi became a regular in the first-team and featured 32 times in all competitions. Reims finished sixth in Ligue 1 and reached the semi-finals of the Coupe de la Ligue, with the defender’s superb performances attracting attention from elsewhere in France.

In August 2020, Monaco signed the defender. He could hardly have made a better start, scoring against former club Reims on his debut in a 2-2 draw.

Disasi went on to make 29 appearances in his first season, scoring three goals and captaining Monaco as they finished third in Ligue 1 and secured Champions League football. They also reached the Coupe de France Final, eventually losing to Paris Saint-Germain.

His second season brought 45 appearances and another third-place finish, while Monaco reached the UEFA Europa League round of 16 and the Coupe de France Semi-Finals.

Then came 22/23, when Disasi played every one of Monaco’s 49 matches across four competitions, scoring six goals and providing four assists. He also found the net against Trabzonspor and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League as Monaco progressed to the knockout play-off round.

By the time he left the Principality, Disasi had amassed an impressive 129 appearances, 12 goals and eight assists for the club.

Disasi’s rapid rise through French football soon earned him international recognition, having previously represented both DR Congo and France at youth level.

In November 2022, he was called into France’s World Cup squad in Qatar after Presnel Kimpembe withdrew through injury. His senior debut came in the group-stage meeting with Tunisia, making him the first France men’s player since Nantes defender Gabriel De Michèle in 1966 to win his first cap at a World Cup.

Disasi went on to make three appearances in Qatar, also featuring in the round of 16 victory over Poland, before coming on in the closing seconds of the Final against Argentina.

Chelsea brought Disasi to England in August 2023, and he made an instant impression by scoring on his Premier League debut in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

His first season in West London saw him make 44 appearances across all competitions as Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup Final and FA Cup semi-finals.

Disasi played the full 120 minutes of the EFL Cup Final against Liverpool, having already contributed to the Blues’ route to Wembley by netting in the second leg of their semi-final victory over Middlesbrough.

Disasi remained with Chelsea into the first half of 24/25, making 17 appearances, including six in their UEFA Conference League campaign.

He then moved to Aston Villa on loan in February 2025, joining a side competing on the Champions League stage. Disasi featured 10 times for Villa, including three appearances during their run to the quarter-finals.

Chelsea would ultimately go on to win the Conference League that season, adding another European honour to Disasi’s extensive experience despite his mid-season departure.

Having joined West Ham United on loan in February 2026, Disasi quickly became a regular under Nuno Espírito Santo, making his first full appearance in a 2-0 win at Burnley.

He helped the Hammers keep clean sheets against Fulham and Wolves, while also scoring a dramatic equaliser against Leeds United in the FA Cup, although West Ham ultimately exited on penalties.

Disasi finished his spell with 17 appearances, 16 of them starts, and had endeared himself to the West Ham faithful.

It was another valuable run of top-flight football for a player whose career has already taken him from the French fourth tier to a World Cup Final.

He now brings all of that experience to South London.