Disasi: My friend Fabregas taught me a lot at Monaco. Now Enzo can reach his level

EXCLUSIVE by Alessandro Schiavone at Stamford Bridge

Photo credits: Fabregas (Wikimedia Commons), Disasi (Alessandro Schiavone)

Axel Disasi knows he owes a huge debt of gratitude to Blues legend Cesc Fabregas.

The pair were teammates at AS Monaco at opposite stages of their careers between 2020 and 2022.

While two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea Fabregas was winding it down at Stade Louis II, Disasi's one had just begun after showing promise in Reims, the same club where former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun came of age before moving to Monaco.

When asked about his recollections of their time together in the principality and the influence Fabregas has had on him, Frenchman Disasi said:

"Cesc was a player who gave me many tips of how to play at the top level thanks to the experience he had.

"To daily train with a player of his magnitude was beneficial and it gave the whole squad a huge lift.

"He didn't necessarily [talk about Chelsea] but more generally about football at the top level instead.

"Whenever we had any questions we could go to him and ask them.

"And I remember that he was talking a lot about his time playing in Barcelona under Guardiola.

"We asked him what it was like to share a dressing room with Messi and all the other great players.

"And his speeches ensured we got to a higher level."

And if there's one Chelsea player who can hit the Spaniard's heights it's Enzo Fernandez.

The Argentine World Cup winner joined from Benfica for £107million last January and found the going tough.

Yet after a hit-and-miss first 12 months at the club, he is now slowly but surely finding his feet.

Disasi said: "Enzo Fernandez can reach Fabregas's level. He is a player who has great quality, is still young and has the whole future ahead of him. So of course, he can."

France have always produced world-class defenders such as Marius Trésor, Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly or Raphaël Varane. But having started out as a centre-forward, Disasi only had eyes for one particular player in his younger days.

He said: "When I was young, I was a striker.

"So my idol was Ronaldinho.

"I watch all the central defenders but will not deviate from my identity and style."

But what about his resurgent Chelsea side, can they still dream of making the top-four?

Disasi, who has won five caps for France and established himself as a first-team regular at Stamford Bridge would certainly not rule it out just yet.

He said: "The season is still long... we're not going to reach a conclusion now.

"Even though we beat Fulham we need to stay humble and focus on all the work that lies ahead."