Chelsea avoided Nathan Ake for the bigger, long term plan

Chelsea has seemingly passed on Nathan Ake. While a romantic signing, it was little else and there are bigger fish to fry.

When it was clear Liverpool desperately needed a center back, Jurgen Klopp wanted Virgil van Dijk. Southampton refused to sell and Klopp could have easily “settled” for another center back. He did not and eventually they got their man.

Chelsea’s pursuit of Nathan Ake brings up similar notions. Ake may be a good player and a versatile one at that, but he does not add a great deal to this Chelsea side. Seemingly, Frank Lampard and his staff agreed with that sentiment as they have passed on activating Ake’s buy back clause.

The Blues probably do need a center back, though even that bit of water is muddied lately. But the question becomes whether it is better to just get a center back, or wait for the center back the club really wants.

Ake would have been the former. Though he is incredibly versatile and that is appealing, that would be his sole defining characteristic in the Chelsea squad. Statistically, he is not significantly better than Fikayo Tomori, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, or Kurt Zouma. Overall, it becomes hard to say he is better than any of them.

So if Chelsea only has a finite amount of money to spend in the transfer market, it makes little sense to spend it on Ake. While he could be a useful addition, he would not be one that improves the squad. If that cash could be saved and used to pay for a player that could actually change things, then it should.

That loops back to the Klopp and Van Dijk example. Liverpool did not get just any center back when they needed one; they waited for the one that would improve their team. Chelsea is following a similar play book this January.

Chelsea could instead wait until the summer when players are more available and generally cheaper. The Blues could turn towards players such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Milan Skriniar, or even Raphael Varane. Those are all theoretically possible, but less so if they break open the piggy bank for a player like Ake now.

Hopefully this moving away from Ake is a sign of more to come from the transfer team. Maybe instead of pushing for a Wilfried Zaha now, the club waits for someone better just a few months from now.

Chelsea is lucky to have youth and experienced players that mostly cover all the requirements Chelsea has right now. Though it can always be improved, it should not be improved for the sake of it. The right players must be targeted and only the right players.

The Blues’ avoidance of Ake is a hint towards that bigger long term plan. Whoever Lampard has in mind, so long as they improve the squad they will be a good signing. Chelsea could be headed into a much more fruitful period if they use the academy and the right signings to squad build.