Non-Chelsea Transfer Pub

[Vesper 27,315]

Transfer news tracker: Bournemouth accept bid for Nathan Ake from Man City

https://theathletic.com/1959808/2020/07/30/transfer-news-tracker-bournemouth-accept-bid-for-nathan-ake-from-man-city/

The transfer window is open and between now and October, The Athletic team will keep you informed of all the significant developments they hear.

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We won’t bring you gossip or rumours, just what is really happening and why.

Our team around the country will provide in-depth analysis of the big moves and all the detail — including the Premier League’s value for money table and how it works and David Ornstein’s insight in his weekly column.

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July 30, 2020

Bournemouth have accepted a £41 million bid for Nathan Ake from Manchester City, report Peter Rutzler and David Ornstein.

The deal is understood to be £40 million up front rising to £41 million through clauses. There is confidence from both parties that the deal will be concluded quickly over the next few days.

Personal terms are close between Ake and City. He is currently abroad and his medical will happen in due course. Even if Ake gets interest from elsewhere, the Dutch defender has decided to join City and work with Pep Guardiola.

The Athletic broke the news that City were opening talks over a deal for Ake in late June. City have been watching him since before the winter transfer window.

Chelsea retain an option to match City’s accepted offer having sold the player in 2017. However, at no point have they considered signing him this summer and City were always thought to be the keenest suitor.

Bournemouth were relegated from the Premier League last weekend but Ake has always expected to leave this summer as he had just two years remaining on his contract. The 25-year-old does not have a relegation wage reduction clause at Bournemouth, which is likely to hasten his exit.

While Bournemouth have suffered from defensive frailties this season, The Athletic has previously analysed how Ake could succeed at City. Ake is viewed as ready to compete at Champions League level.

[killer1257 3,282]

he was, for years

Yes, and we should have never sold him

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[Vesper 27,315]

Is Ake good enough for Manchester City?

https://theathletic.co.uk/1907755/2020/07/30/ake-bournemouth-manchester-city-transfer/

We are republishing this piece from Peter Rutzler from July 4 after The Athletic reported today that Bournemouth have accepted a £41 million bid for Nathan Ake from Manchester City. Read more about that here.

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At least on paper, it seems strange for a Bournemouth defender to be coveted by some of the Premier League’s elite.

Eddie Howe’s team have struggled greatly this season, and throughout their top-flight stay have not been renowned for their closed-door defensive policy. No side has let in more goals than Bournemouth since their promotion in 2015, with their total currently at 319.

Their goals-per-game ratio is slightly better at 1.73 conceded per 90 minutes but it doesn’t exactly put them in esteemed company; they sit seventh on a list of all clubs over the past five seasons, with only Fulham, Hull City, Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Norwich City and Huddersfield Town (all sides who have been relegated during this period) ahead of them.

But for all of Bournemouth’s defensive dilemmas, very rarely do you have a bad word to say about Nathan Ake.

Earlier this week, The Athletic reported that the Holland international was wanted by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and that tentative “early discussions” have taken place regarding a potential move.

News of a top side’s interest is not exactly unprecedented for Bournemouth and Ake — the Dorset club spent January nervously following Chelsea’s movements concerning a buyback clause in his contract. It is also expected for a player whose consistency has been unparalleled over the course of his four years at the Vitality Stadium.

“Am I surprised about the interest in Nathan? No, because he’s been a model of consistency,” affirmed Howe this week. “I think he’s performed very well for us for a long, long period of time. 

“He’s been outstanding for us from the moment he’s signed — not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well. He’s going to have a big, big part to play in our remaining games, in our battle to stay in the Premier League.”

When Ake first arrived on loan from Chelsea in 2016, it was with a view to potentially playing as a defensive midfielder. Midfield was his background, while in the previous season, spent on loan at Watford, Ake was used as a left-back, too. But Howe very quickly redeployed him in the heart of defence and from there, he has developed into a modern, ball-playing central defender. He is not the tallest, at 5ft 11in, but like his manager did himself as a player, he has adapted to cope with the aerial challenges that drawback invites.

The most notable development about Ake on the south coast, however, has concerned leadership. Howe wanted him to become more vocal and more of a leader on the field and off it. It is in that regard that he has taken his greatest steps.

“I think there’s always a changing dynamic within a team, so leaders develop over time naturally, through becoming familiar with their surroundings, their team-mates, naturally through time,” said Howe. “They then become the experienced players, where once they were the younger guys, and then the experienced players that were there may leave and they have to take on that responsibility.

“Nathan’s definitely one of those players that will now be taking the mantle in terms of leading and being a role model for the guys that are younger than him. He’s certainly got all the attributes to do it. You’ve got the professionalism, the heart, the mind to lead and to drag players with him.

“He’s developing into a real leader for us and he is very popular in the dressing room. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”

Ake is regarded by all who know him as a consummate professional. He is a very relaxed, laid-back character who, by all accounts, is a pleasure to work alongside. He is highly competitive and was known to be quite a bad loser as a youngster, but that has translated into a drive to improve. After scoring the winner against Liverpool in Bournemouth’s famous 4-3 comeback victory in December 2016, he made sure to spend time with Howe going over his performance regarding two of the goals the team conceded.

This professionalism makes him an ideal option for any side, regardless of level, but his playing ability sets him apart, and his schooling through his youth career in midfield means it is no surprise he is on the radars of City and Guardiola; who espouse a progressive, possession-based philosophy.

For City, as The Athletic’s Sam Lee has outlined, their interest likely centres on finding cover for Aymeric Laporte. The former Athletic Bilbao centre-half is regarded as a player with world-class ability but his time at the Etihad has been marred by fitness issues. City do not have any left-sided cover at centre-half, and it is in that respect that Ake has caught their eye.

There is little doubt that despite Bournemouth’s defensive issues, Ake has the potential and mindset to make another step up. His performances have been to such a consistently high standard that you would be hard-pressed to find any Bournemouth supporter who would begrudge the 25-year-old joining an elite side.

In comparison with Laporte, it is evident Ake is not yet at his level, but a caveat must be included reflecting the fact he is playing for a team whose performances indicate they are drifting into the Championship. Using smarterscout‘s modelling tool though, which takes advanced metrics and converts them into a rating between zero and 99, it is evident the underlying potential is there to step forward.

Injuries for Laporte mean the best comparison to make comes from last season, where the duo played a similar number of minutes. It’s evident but not surprising that Ake was the busier defensively of the pair but he still performed to a high standard, not least when it came to ground duels, as well as a propensity to advance possession. Laporte, however, is one of the Premier League’s finest ball-playing defenders, so to come up short is no surprise either.

That doesn’t dismiss Ake as a top-class defender, however. Bournemouth’s underlying philosophy, despite a shift to counter-attacking football, still centres on playing out from the back when possible. In possession, an area where they have deeply struggled this season, Ake plays a key role in progressing the ball, either by feeding the flanks, or by going more direct. As outlined here, Bournemouth’s all-round play on the ball and a lack of an effective target means his numbers do suffer.

But he is schooled to play in this manner and does so effectively. He is comfortable in possession, adept at travelling with the ball at his feet, and has the passing acumen of a midfielder. According to Opta, his passing accuracy is 89.1 per cent this season, the best of any player outside the top four (and sixth overall). That increases to 89.9 per cent for passing accuracy into the final third. Even his long pass success rate — 50 per cent — still puts him 16th of all 55 central defenders who have played more than 900 minutes in the Premier League this season, despite Bournemouth’s struggles.

Laporte’s passing range is exceptional and for Ake, this is a developing part of his game and one that can only improve when playing at a higher level. He has demonstrated it for both club and country; in the first example below, for Holland, his pass frees Patrick van Aanholt on the left flank, whose subsequent cross creates a dangerous if passed-up opportunity.

In the second, back at club level, Ake finds Callum Wilson, a common passing route and one that is not always effective, with the England striker not the most competitive in the air.

Defensively, Ake’s partnership with Steve Cook has been central to Bournemouth’s success in recent seasons and there is little doubt that injuries to both players in December and January contributed to a poor run of form against sides also in the relegation fight. Ake’s hamstring injury marked the first time in two years he had missed a game for Bournemouth, and his departure from the field against Liverpool in December rocked his team-mates to such an extent that they conceded within two minutes.

Cook’s presence alongside Ake is important because he is a significantly better player in the air — one area of the game where the Dutchman struggles. As we’ve mentioned, Ake is not tall for a centre-half and his aerial success rate of 51 per cent puts him 51st of 55 defenders to have played more than 900 minutes this season. He does, though, possess an impressive leap and is adept at reading the game effectively, allowing him to get up early and prevent opponents from winning the ball. In this instance, his movement and agility put him in a better position to out-jump Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke, who is five inches taller than him.

Ake is a quick and smooth operator, both on the ball and when working backwards. He also has a good scoring record for a defender, with 11 goals in his four years with Bournemouth. His versatility, having played in several positions, means he has a better understanding of the game and his anticipation underlines his defensive strengths.

Against Arsenal earlier this season, he combined this ability with a strong turn of pace to block Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, despite the forward having at least a two-yard head start.

Gabriel Martinelli shaped to dink a clever pass over the Bournemouth back line…

…but the 25-year-old sensed the danger and moved to intercept. He beat Aubameyang to the ball and cleared it for a corner.

Ake’s agility means he is effective against mobile wide players and centre-forwards such as Aubameyang, including in one-on-one situations. In another example below, against Jordan Ayew of Palace, Ake’s quick feet and mobility help him to prevent a goalscoring opportunity.

Here, Ayew and Ake both chase a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area…

…Ayew gets there first and turns infield. Ake is facing the wrong way after travelling at pace…

…but is still able to shift his bodyweight and make a tackle, dispossessing Ayew.

Bournemouth are a passive side when out of possession, preferring to sit deeper and try to make interceptions rather than engaging and tackling opponents (they have the highest number of interceptions in the Premier League this season, and the fewest number of tackles). Despite this, Ake’s true tackle win rate this season (a better measure for tackle success which factors in Bournemouth’s style — as The Athletic’s Tom Worville explains here) comes in at 71.4 per cent, seventh-best of the 55 Premier League centre-halves to have played more than 900 minutes.

Couple all that with an average of just 0.38 fouls conceded per 90 minutes and you have a picture of a tidy, effective ground-based defender. The table below, adjusted tackles and interceptions per 1,000 opponent touches, helps give a clearer picture of a defender’s activity when defending. It doesn’t however, give a clear picture of quality in those regards.

Ake is not quite the finished article, as there is certainly scope for improvement. His reputation as a high-class professional indicates a willingness to learn and adapt though, and it is evident that with higher calibre team-mates around him he is likely to take his game up to another level.

Bournemouth, as Howe’s comments reflect, value Ake extremely highly and it was seen as a major coup to keep him past the January transfer window. In an ideal world, they would not want to sell and would keep him for the long term as part of a developing and growing squad. Over the past five years, the average age of the squad has progressively come down as Howe has sought to reconstruct his side, with Ake a central figure in that.

But for a player of his quality, there would naturally be an understanding if he were to take the next step.  It would be a surprise if a favourable offer in the current financial climate, one afflicted by the pandemic and that has led Bournemouth to pause the construction of their new training ground, was not accepted. Certainly, there’s very little chance he will still be playing for them if they are in the Championship next season.

Despite all of Bournemouth’s defensive frailties, Ake’s reputation has only grown since his arrival at the Vitality Stadium.

He is now a player who most feel is capable of competing at Champions League level and one who fights with the prodigious pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt for a place in the Holland team. For now, however, Bournemouth will hope Ake can inspire his side to a recovery in the Premier League, as they need the Dutchman to be at his best more than ever.

 

 

 

 

[Pizy 17,860]

We need a tall, powerful, commanding CB who can dominate in the air and has a no-nonsense approach to defending. Someone who doesn't make silly mistakes.

I put Ake in the same category as AC & Tomori. Short for a CB, good on the ball, good mobility. But they aren't the Terry/VVD/Ferdinand on-pitch General we need. Ake is the type of CB you buy when you have that sort of CB next to him.

Clearly if we wanted him back we could've done so. Which tells you Frank is looking for a CB like the ones I mentioned instead.

[killer1257 3,282]

We need a tall, powerful, commanding CB who can dominate in the air and has a no-nonsense approach to defending. Someone who doesn't make silly mistakes.
I put Ake in the same category as AC & Tomori. Short for a CB, good on the ball, good mobility. But they aren't the Terry/VVD/Ferdinand on-pitch General we need. Ake is the type of CB you buy when you have that sort of CB next to him.
Clearly if we wanted him back we could've done so. Which tells you Frank is looking for a CB like the ones I mentioned instead.

Ricardo Carvalho was also the same size as Ake. He still was one of the best CBs I have seen. His football IQ was above Terry's and that is why despite lack of height and physicality, he made it easily in PL and he made Chelsea into a wall. People only talk about Terry, but forget the mastermind Carvalho was. The positioning, how to put the body towards opponents to win tackles, when to jump and when to throw yourself into a tackle, how to block tackles etc. He belonged to the old school defenders that had football IQ. These days it is all about physicality or technique, but the defending skills are forgotten.

Ake has an amazing football lQ and he would easily be better that Tomori, AC and Rüdiger.


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[BlueLyon 9,359]

We should sell AC and bring Ake. That is unless we plan to buy someone else. But I mean are we realy going to spend that much on GK, LB, CB + all the attackers?

If not, we missed a big chance to at least semi improve back line.

[Vesper 27,315]

3 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

Yes, and we should have never sold him

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disagree, although I wish we had gotten more OR put in a sell on clause

he is too short for our style

he was a starting CB on a team that just got relegated

and it wasn't like he was some godlike talent on a team with literally nothing else but pure dregs (there are players like that all over Europe)

[Vesper 27,315]

27 minutes ago, Pizy said:

We need a tall, powerful, commanding CB who can dominate in the air and has a no-nonsense approach to defending. Someone who doesn't make silly mistakes.

I put Ake in the same category as AC & Tomori. Short for a CB, good on the ball, good mobility. But they aren't the Terry/VVD/Ferdinand on-pitch General we need. Ake is the type of CB you buy when you have that sort of CB next to him.

Clearly if we wanted him back we could've done so. Which tells you Frank is looking for a CB like the ones I mentioned instead.

AC is 8cms (and in reality probably 10) taller than Ake

AC is one CM taller than John Terry, he is just weak as shit

even Tomori is 4 to 6ms taller than Ake

atm (I am open to changing my mind on Tomori)

I do not rate all 3, especially AC

[Fernando 6,376]

I agree with @Vesper Ake is not what we need. 

We got many players like him in Zouma, AC and Tomori. 

We need a real leader of a CB, not someone like Ake. 

 

[Pizy 17,860]

22 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

 

 

Ricardo Carvalho was also the same size as Ake. He still was one of the best CBs I have seen. His football IQ was above Terry's and that is why despite lack of height and physicality, he made it easily in PL and he made Chelsea into a wall. People only talk about Terry, but forget the mastermind Carvalho was. The positioning, how to put the body towards opponents to win tackles, when to jump and when to throw yourself into a tackle, how to block tackles etc. He belonged to the old school defenders that had football IQ. These days it is all about physicality or technique, but the defending skills are forgotten.

Ake has an amazing football lQ and he would easily be better that Tomori, AC and Rüdiger.


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What I'm saying is we already have CB's of a similar profile as Ake. If we already had the commanding CB then Ake would make sense as a compliment.

What we need is a direct upgrade on Zouma. 

[Vesper 27,315]

1 minute ago, Fernando said:

I agree with @Vesper

hope you have on your fireproof knickers

[Alabama 1,992]

How about Filipe Luiz Ramos of Lazio or Ruben Dias though the former will cost shit loads of money...

[Pizy 17,860]

I want to see Chelsea sign a man mountain of a CB who is also good on the ball. Like Koulibaly or Ginter. Someone who will never be pushed around and someone who devours anything through the air that gets near them a la VVD.

 

[Vesper 27,315]

13 minutes ago, Pizy said:

I want to see Chelsea sign a man mountain of a CB who is also good on the ball. Like Koulibaly or Ginter. Someone who will never be pushed around and someone who devours anything through the air that gets near them a la VVD.

 

Koulibaly is in decline and is not a man mountain, he is shorter than AC (Napoli lied for years and claimed he was 1.95m, when he is only 1.87m)

KK was (other than one superb tackle) really poor v Inter, Lukaku just blew him away multiple times, broke him with pure pace

Ginter is 4cms taller than KK (1.91m)

I think we might be able to geta steal price (due to hsi hip flexor muscle injury) on Konate

he is a man mountain (1.94m) and is good on the ball

https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/ibrahima-konate-who-is-the-rb-leipzig-and-france-defender-nextgen-10647

He has the pace to match the quickest of attackers and the physique to bully – rather than be bullied by – muscular strikers much more experienced than he is.

The Leipzig No. 6 wins 66 per cent of all tackles, a well-above-average quota that even rises to 81 per cent in the air. (my add, Ake wins 51%) He can dribble out of defence or ping accurate long balls forward – averaging a 95 per cent accuracy rate. Even Liverpool stalwart Van Dijk would be pleased with those numbers.

 

[NikkiCFC 7,582]

 

[shrenshah 186]

4 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

 

Now lets watch De Bruyne mk2 and see him become like the new Gullit...

[Vesper 27,315]

8 minutes ago, shrenshah said:

Now lets watch De Bruyne mk2 and see him become like the new Gullit...

Ake is so not De Bruyne MKII

and he couldn't shine Ruud Gullit's boots (who also didn't even remotely play the same position)

Gullit won the Ballon d'Or as an AMF in 1987

they only thing they have in common is the hair, their home football nation, and they were both Chels for a spell

 

[Strike 6,961]

What are the options in the man-mountain CB market?