Stats suggest West Ham might have found Axel Disasi upgrade in Moustapa Mbow

Axel Disasi will turn 29 next year. West Ham United are understandably determined not to be held to ransom either by Chelsea – who will hope to recoup as much of their £38 million investment as possible – or by a 28-year-old defender who earns £80,000-a-week at Stamford Bridge.

They say never fall in love with a loan player, but we’ve all done it before 😂

Furthermore, considering that Disasi has not given up hope of forcing his way back into the France squad, it can be taken as a given that he will not be sticking around in the Championship, regardless of how much he has enjoyed his time in East London.

Alongside the aforementioned Ake, who will also have serious reservations about dropping down to the second tier, Moustapha Mbow of Paris FC is another to keep a close eye on.

Per RMC Sport, West Ham have submitted a ‘significant’ offer to sign Mbow already, alongside London rivals Crystal Palace and Fulham, perhaps in the hope that he would be more up for the idea of joining regardless of which division the Hammers find themselves in.

West Ham United are keen on Paris FC defender Moustapha Mbow

Alongside his Ligue 1 upbringing and his giant, 6ft 4ins-frame, Mbow shares a few more things in common with Axel Disasi.

The glowing praise afforded to him by Paris FC coach Antoine Kombouare highlights the similarities of both players, from Mbow’s fierce desire to block all efforts coming his way to his natural-born leadership skills and his two-footed passing range.

“He’s the kind of defender I like a lot. A good defender is someone who defends and loves doing it,” Kombouare told L’Equipe recently.

“I appreciate his ease with both feet. Although he is right-footed, he is very comfortable playing on the left side of the central defence, which is a great strength for our build-up play.”

Funnily enough, this is exactly the role Disasi has been playing at West Ham. A right-footer playing on the left of the centre-back duo, and thriving.

“He’s someone who sees the game, who organises from the back. He can bring the group back together when we get a little scattered. He deserves this (captain’s) armband because of his performance and dedication.”

Mbow stacks up very well against Chelsea loanee Axel Disasi

Kombouare feels that the late-blooming Mbow – 26 and playing regular top-flight football for the first time – still has work to do regarding his ‘concentration. He needs to stay focused for 90 minutes’.

But if West Ham are looking for an aerially dominant, physically imposing, two-footed centre-half to potentially replace Disasi, Mbow looks a good bet. He has started 29 of Paris FC’s 32 Ligue 1 matches, keeping eight clean sheets along the way.

A solid defensive record has been the key to securing their top-flight status under Kombouare, who was parachuted in three months ago and immediately took a liking to the giant defender.

Stats site Data MB shows that Mbow also ranks far higher than Disasi in a number of different areas. Disasi wins more ‘defensive duels’, but Mbow sits higher when it comes to ‘aerial duels’ and ‘possessions won’, as well as ‘progressive passes’ and ‘progressive carries’.

He is, it seems, someone who combines the on-the-ball elegance of Jean-Clair Todibo with the physical qualities of a Konstantinos Mavropanos.

It remains to be seen how ‘significant’ West Ham’s alleged offer really is. If Mbow proves to be every bit as influential as Disasi, then any fee the Hammers pay will be worth it.