Chelsea defender Axel Disasi has revealed that he wanted to join Aston Villa 'straight after hanging up the phone' to Unai Emery.
Late on deadline day for the winter transfer window, it was confirmed that Chelsea had allowed the France international to move to the West Midlands outfit on a loan deal for the rest of the season.
Despite having made 15 starts and two substitute outings for Chelsea in all competitions during 2024-25, the decision was made for Disasi to go elsewhere.
At the time, there was constant speculation regarding Tottenham Hotspur attempting to hijack any deal as they bid to strengthen their own defensive options.
However, speaking to Villa TV, it appears that Spurs were always wasting their time.
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'They made me feel safe'
Disasi has revealed that he felt the faith placed in him by Emery when they felt spoke on the phone, as well as the importance of linking up with two French compatriots.
He said: "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. He (Emery) 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. 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."
On conversations with Boubacar Kamara, he added: "It has been one week that I have been speaking with Bouba, every day we were speaking.
"Now to meet them here will be great. For me also it is even better to be with French guys (also Lucas Digne) here."
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A stalled start...
While Disasi would have liked to have hit the ground running with Villa, he will be unavailable for two of the next four games.
Disasi has already represented Chelsea in the FA Cup this season, ruling him out of Sunday's fourth-round tie against Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, he is ineligible to face his parent club in the Premier League clash on February 22. Instead, Disasi is left to focus on the fixtures with Ipswich Town and Liverpool on February 15 and February 19 respectively.
Darren Plant
