Axel Disasi leaves Chelsea to join Premier League rivals on loan | OneFootball

Axel Disasi has left Chelsea to join Premier League rivals Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the season after a hectic deadline day for the defender.

The French centre-back agreed terms with Villa a week ago, but the Blues were reluctant to sell him to a direct opponent in the race for Champions League qualification.

Tottenham Hotspur had supposedly struck a deal with Chelsea only for Disasi to rebuff the offer from a side skulking around the lower third of the Premier League table.

While Spurs shifted their focus to another defender who would reject their increasingly desperate advances, Villa ploughed forward in their pursuit.

The active Midlands outfit, who have already added Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio to their roster in the last two days, confirmed Disasi's arrival two hours after the transfer window had officially closed. The 26-year-old is thought to have commanded a £5m loan fee and Villa are expected to cover all his Chelsea wages.

Unai Emery's side have completely reshaped their frontline, selling Jhon Duran for an eye-watering sum to Al Nassr while also adding Donyell Malen to the mix, but were in need of defensive reinforcements.

After injuries to Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings, on top of a January departure for Diego Carlos, Emery was forced to name his best midfielder, Boubacar Kamara, alongside Ezri Konsa for Saturday's Midlands derby against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This hodgepodge rearguard conceded twice to their hosts in a demoralising defeat which prompted Emery to say: "We need some more players. We need to replace some players who left."

The Spanish boss got his wish.