Explained: How Aston Villa sealed last-ditch Disasi deal after Tottenham move failed twice on deadline day

Aston Villa secured the loan signing of Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi on deadline day despite competition from Tottenham and now he could play a big role for Unai Emery’s side.

The 26-year-old defender showed interest in a switch to Villa Park throughout the January window but the Midlands club found an agreement with Chelsea hard to come by initially.

Villa approached Chelsea and Disasi over a loan move around a week before the transfer deadline. They reached an agreement with the player, but Chelsea asked for a £5m loan fee, which Villa were initially not prepared to pay.

Tottenham then attempted to swoop in for Disasi as Ange Postecoglou looked to bolster his defensive options. And Disasi remained a target even after Spurs added Kevin Danso.

Spurs reached an agreement with Chelsea after agreeing to pay £5m for the loan but Disasi wanted to wait and see whether Villa matched the terms.

Early on Deadline Day, Tottenham pulled out of talks for Disasi after failing to get play buy-in. Some sources suggest that this was a pressure tactic, knowing at that point Villa had made no progress.

Spurs then returned around lunch but Disasi held firm, and finally by late afternoon Villa met Chelsea’s asking price. The transfer needed a dealsheet to get over the late.

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Axel Disasi never considered joining Tottenham – sources

TEAMtalk understands it was never the case that Chelsea weren’t willing to do business with Villa because they consider them a direct rival in the race for Champions League football.

Disasi’s situation was far simpler than that – the Blues were standing firm on their  £5m loan fee. Villa decided to leave things late, in case the asking price dropped, but in the end paid the same number as Spurs had agreed.

Disasi’s loan with Villa does not include an option to buy, even though Disasi is expected to be available for a permanent transfer this summer.

Interestingly, sources state Disasi would have preferred to have stayed at Stamford Bridge and fight for his place over joining Tottenham. Part of the reason was a fear, once Spurs get injured defenders back his gametime would have been diminished.

Tottenham didn’t add a different centre-back on deadline day, so Postecolgou must rely onKevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Archie Gray and Ben Davies with Radu Dragusin out for the season with an ACL injury and Cristian Romero’s return date still unknown.

FULL BREAKDOWN: All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the January 2025 transfer window

IN FOCUS: Disasi’s lack of minutes for Chelsea this season