Chelsea were unconvinced by Nathan Ake’s lack of physicality
Former Chelsea star Nathan Ake joined Manchester City in a deal worth £41million.
City moved quickly to secure the Dutchman following Bournemouth’s relegation. However, they could have lost out had Chelsea exercised their clause to resign the player for around £40million.
The Blues had 72 hours to match City’s bid but decided against doing so. According to The Athletic, this was because they had concerns regarding the player’s height and strength.
Frank Lampard is keen to revamp the Chelsea backline this summer. The Blues defence has been leakier than a sinking ship this season. Despite that, the Blues chose against bringing back Ake.
In fact, the club was just not convinced that the 25-year-old was the right choice, especially so given his lack of aerial prowess.
The Dutch international spent five years at Chelsea before moving to Bournemouth in 2017. He has since emerged as a key player for the Cherries, who went down this season.
It is fair to say that Chelsea would have had a better idea of Ake’s key strengths and weaknesses than City. Having seen him first hand, the Blues’ decision to pass him on could be an educated decision backed by facts.
Despite being one of Bournemouth’s better players, Ake was unable to raise the levels of those around him. In fact, a vocal leader who can organize those around him is exactly what Chelsea need at the moment.
Bringing in a player who had to be led would have been unnecessary for us. The Blues have shown they are not averse to spending money where value can be found this summer.
With Ake, there just appears to have been more cons than pros. Time will tell whether our decision was right.
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Chelsea have already brought in Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. The club is also keeping tabs on Declan Rice and Ben Chilwell.
Both players would immensely strengthen our backline. Whether we can get them over the line remains to be seen.