West Ham United face a crucial battle against fellow relegation candidates Burnley this weekend in a potentially season-defining clash, with the east London side looking to make a spectacular escape.
At the same time, Leeds face Nottingham Forest in an equally important game for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
A win in this clash would put them miles away from the drop zone and West Ham, so a win would mean nothing but a win against Scott Parker’s Burnley, who signed Nuno’s exile James Ward-Prowse in January to help them fight for relegation.
The Hammers have signed a number of players in the last month, most notably Chelsea defender Axel Disasi on a loan deal.
The Frenchman has not featured in a game since April last year after being frozen out by former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and banished to youth-level training across London.
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The Dutch are on fire these days.
Nuno was full of praise for the 26-year-old in his pre-match press conference at Burnley, who is currently being given a fresh start at West Ham.
“He’s been training hard and physically he’s in good shape. You can see he’s been training hard at Chelsea,” Nuno told reporters.
“Of course he now needs to integrate into the team and get to know his teammates, but I think he will help us. He is a strong defender, good on the ball and is a good option for us.”
But while Nuno’s message is encouraging, Chelsea’s internal sources have made contradictory claims about DiSasi.
Insider hits back at West Ham’s worrying claims about Axel DiSasi with Nuno
A Cobham source familiar with Disasi’s fitness level told Insider’s Claret & Hugh that it could actually take the former Monaco player a few weeks to get back into shape.
“Disasi was free to offer to anyone, but his fitness level was so low that no one wanted him,” the source said.
“Clubs that were interested felt that it would take him four to six full games to reach the required level.
“So, effectively, he needs a proper preseason.
“We’ll see tomorrow what the manager thinks. Burnley aren’t going to keep the pressure on all the time, so if Nuno doesn’t start then that means the player is not ready yet.”
Burnley are far from the most formidable attacking team in the Premier League, sitting at the bottom of the table with the third-worst goalscoring record in the division.
If Nuno refuses to start DiSasi, it would confirm that the manager has serious doubts about his readiness.
West Ham needed a defender who could quickly break into the starting eleven and provide immediate defensive stability.
Instead, they could carry passengers who won’t reach their peak health until the season reaches its decisive final stages.
If Nuno leaves Disasi on the bench against Burnley tomorrow afternoon, supporters will get an answer to how serious these fitness concerns really are.
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He was left in his final hours.
