Chelsea scout says club should bring back Nathan Ake: “He’s perfect for them”

Nathan Ake

The Netherlands international left the London club in 2017 to join Bournemouth in a £20 million deal.

He’s impressed with the Cherries after struggling to be offered first-team game time during his time at Chelsea.

But De Visser believes the 24-year-old would be a perfect fit for Frank Lampard’s youthful side, and encouraged his employers to try to re-sign the centre-back.

"Ake should have played for Chelsea by now,” he told Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, as reported by Sky Sports.

“He's so good. How often does he not score with his head?

“He has timing and insight. I hope they buy him back. That boy is perfect for them and he has played with Lampard."

Ake came through the Chelsea youth ranks alongside the likes of Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, in a side that won the Under-21 development league in 2014.

He was snapped up by the club from Feyenoord aged 16 and enjoyed loan spells at Reading, Watford and Bournemouth, with the latter deal being cut short midway through the 2017/18 season as then-manager Antonio Conte wanted him back as cover.

Ake has become a key player for Eddie Howe’s side on the south coast and recently made his 100th appearance for the club.

He has played every minute of Bournemouth’s Premier League campaign so far this season and scored in their 3-1 win over Southampton in September.

Ake is also a regular member of the Netherlands squad, with 11 caps to his name, although he has been restricted to a place on the bench for his country lately.

Now read...

QUIZ! Can you name the 51 all-time top scorers in the Champions League?

ANALYSIS The insider secret to how Liverpool fuel their intense Champions League away days

Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.