Chelsea’s pipeline is too long for a player’s short career, says Nathan Ake

Nathan Ake said what many of his former teammates and many Chelsea watchers already know. Careers are short, Chelsea’s pipeline for hopeful youth is too long and time is not on the players’ side.

Nathan Ake and Nathaniel Chalobah will probably start over 25 games each in the upcoming Premier League season. After several years in Chelsea’s loan system, gaining progressively more experience, they are poised for their breakthrough season where they fulfill their promise as starting XI regulars.

All they had to do was leave Chelsea.

Nathan Ake confirmed that his decision to leave Chelsea centered on his desire and need to play. The Blues may have offered better prospects in terms of European football, titles, cups and the rest. But Bournemouth offers him a chance to play and improve in a way that no amount of training and instruction can duplicate.

"The decision to come here was to be able to play more games which is important for me and that is why I came here… It is a short career, I’m 22 now and I feel like I have had a good experience playing games and you just want to continue doing that. – Evening Standard"

Other 22-year olds are already starting across the Premier League and Europe. Some of them are even transfer targets for top clubs, such as Chelsea. They rate so highly not because of their performances in youth tournaments and on loan. They jumped from scouting reports to transfer rumours because they started playing first team football at the top level – usually at their home club – from an early age.

Ake said he understood Antonio Conte’s comments about young players being impatient and not trusting the club. However, trusting Antonio Conte and trusting the club – this club – are two very different prospects.

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Antonio Conte is currently wondering if he will be at the club in six months, let alone the nominal end of his contract in two years. His future is as uncertain as any player’s. Even if Ake or another young player trusted Conte’s vision, Conte’s ability to deliver on that vision and those promises is contingent on Chelsea’s sack-happy leadership.

So what if Conte had laid out a multi-year progression for Nathan Ake that convinced Ake to stay? If Roman Abramovich fires Conte, all promises with the players are null and void. Ake could then be a 25-year old with fewer than 100 Premier League appearances and 50 starts, and a new manager who has little care, concern or use for him.

Promises managers cannot keep and front office turmoil are only one consideration. Careers are short, as Ake said. Sometimes they are even shorter than that.

Thibaut Courtois injured his ankle during a photo shoot for the NBA. Eden Hazard broke his ankle walking off a training pitch with Belgium’s national team. Pedro suffered a concussion in a pre-season friendly. The only thing worse than being a 25-year languishing on the bench with a declining transfer value and fewer than 100 games is being a 25-year old watching the game at home after a career-ending freak injury before you reached 100 games.

Nathan Ake and the others needed to leave Chelsea to satisfy their  ambition and desire in the game they love. They also had to ensure they develop professionally into the players they can be. At the very least, they need to play to raise their value for whatever comes next, whether that is a new contract or a new transfer fee.

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Stagnating in your current job makes it that much harder to get another job, let alone a better one. That’s true in any line of work, including professional footballer. And like any job, asking for a raise or a promotion comes down to what you can do, not what you know. Nathan Ake made the choice that will give him the best opportunity to demonstrate his ability, realize his potential and grow in every sense.