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Chelsea’s Nathan Ake discusses Bournemouth, favourite position

By Siva Sankar

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Nathan Ake of Watford during The Emirates FA Cup semi final match between Watford and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on April 24, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 24: Nathan Ake of Watford during The Emirates FA Cup semi final match between Watford and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on April 24, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea prospect Nathan Ake discusses his loan move to Bournemouth, his time in the Chelsea academy and where he thinks he should play.

Nathan Ake signed for Chelsea football club at the age of 15 after having spent his formative years in the Netherlands. He has since been a fixture in the first team squads of Roberto Di Matteo, Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho.

He made his debut at the age of 17, won the Chelsea Young Player of the season award the next season and in Chelsea’s most recent title winning season, Jose Mourinho insisted that he get a medal for his contributions to the cause.

After an impressive short stint at Reading, the club awarded him a four-year contract before loaning him out to Watford where he had an excellent season in the back four. He was nominated as their young player of the season.

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On the back of such a successful campaign, many expected Ake to become a part of Antonio Conte’s plans for next season. Baba Rahman didn’t have a good first year so it seemed logical that Ake, who excelled at LB, would get a shot.

However, in a surprise move, Ake joined AFC Bournemouth on a season long loan. This looks like a sideways move instead of a progressive switch but a closer look reveals more.

Nathan Ake was initially signed as a central defender in the Chelsea youth teams but as he wasn’t the right size to play in that position, academy coaches encouraged him to chance his arm in central midfield and left-back.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Nathan Ake of Chelsea tries to tackle Neil Danns of Bolton Wanderers during the Capital One Cup, Third Round match between Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on September 24, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Nathan Ake of Chelsea tries to tackle Neil Danns of Bolton Wanderers during the Capital One Cup, Third Round match between Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge on September 24, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images) /

This versatility has been a feature of Ake’s career as Chelsea had used him predominantly as a central midfielder and Watford as a left back. There was always a danger of him becoming a Jack of all trades and master of none. But his technical skill and ability to read the game have transferred well to all these positions making him a desirable target for Bournemouth. Manager Eddie Howe said as much in an interview with Bournemouth Echo.

"He was used predominantly at left-back by Watford and also played for them at centre-back. His favoured position is as a central midfielder…we are really excited at the prospect of working with him."

Ake joined Bournemouth a week ahead of their pre-season. He spoke to the club’s official website after his first training session about what made him choose Bournemouth over other clubs interested in his services.

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"There was other interest in the summer but when I came and spoke to Eddie here and he gave me a lot of confidence, he talked about his plans on the pitch and I think we are quite similar, we both like to work hard….Basically, I decided straight away I wanted to come here."

Ake aims to become a fixture in the starting eleven as a central midfielder, which is his favoured position and hopes to help Bournemouth to a finish higher than last season’s 16th.

"I can play in different positions. I like to get on the ball defensively play hard, with tackles and things like that. I think I am a holding midfielder, when I came to Chelsea I played as a centre back but then was told I was too small. So I changed to left back and then to midfield, I’ve been going around in circles!"

Having watched Ake play a lot for the youth teams it was evident that he was talented. More importantly, he had the right mentality to make the most of his talent.

He has that natural ability to read the game and intercept which translates well to any position that he’s asked to play in. He had the best numbers in the league in terms of interceptions last season which shows that he’s not afraid to play on the front foot and likes to step out and intercept as a modern defender should.

If used correctly, he could have a similar impact from central midfield for Bournemouth. Last season N’Golo Kante wowed the English public and made a legitimate case for being the best player in the league.

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While it is unrealistic to expect Ake to make such an impact at such a young age, Bournemouth have a real gem on their hands. Ake will take his chances with both hands and revel in his favoured central midfield position.

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