Nathan Aké

[didierforever 7,349]

last night showed his true quality. i always used to defend mikel but after watching an 18 year old play the way this guy did, got to admit that mikeljust is not good enough for us.

[The only place to be 11,313]

They should focus on turning him into a Makelele type player. I think that's where his future lies.

I honestly don't know if Makelele would fit into our team anymore. I think players like Martinez and Khedira have taken that role forward, albeit in a slightly different direction. That's what I think Ake coud emulate, getting up and down the pitch with a greater emphasis on mobility and endurance.

[English Freak 456]

Why are people so obsessed with the yoof? We shouldn't play the yoof just for the sake of it. We've left go some decent players over the years (stoch, matic) but players like ake are never going to make it here and I'm not going to shed a tear.

So you're the expert on who's the gonna make the cut at Chelsea?

Hopefully you never become a youth coach at any level of football.

[Pacquiao 1,834]

I think we need to sign a genuine world class DM in the summer who both Ake and Romeu can learn from! I see a bright future at Chelsea for both Ake and Romeu!

[mybodyisready 155]

So you're the expert on who's the gonna make the cut at Chelsea?

Hopefully you never become a youth coach at any level of football.

Of course I'm not because I don't want to

It's like telling a golf player you're never going to be a professional bodybuilder

[bleed_blue 136]

He had such a poor game yesterday. He had no business winning that tackle in the middle of the field that led to the Torres goal. That is not how good holding midfielder behave. They should be closing down passing channels and the opposition will automatically give up possession. </sarcasm>

[lucio 5,395]

He had such a poor game yesterday. He had no business winning that tackle in the middle of the field that led to the Torres goal. That is not how good holding midfielder behave. They should be closing down passing channels and the opposition will automatically give up possession. </sarcasm>

tackling should only be done in extreme circumstances your right. its best to observe their passing whilst standing still

[ja1 1,166]

Fair enough, maybe I'm just being a bit myopic. I did find it strange last season the way Piazon was being hyped up by the club, interviews/pres stuff and even winning young player of the year etc when in my opinion there were more deserving candidates like Chalobah and Feruz. It seemed like a concerted effort to heap praise on Piazon rather than it being merited. Perhaps I'm just looking into things too much.

This is what I thought. I was not a fan of him winning YPOTY. The guy was here for 6 months, while the rest played a full season, and he wasn't actually that good till the latter stages of the FAYC. Unlike Aké he didn't actually play for the first team that season. Someone like Chalobah deserves it for me who captained the U18s from the start.

I guess when you pay £10million for a young Brazilian attacker there will always be hype around them though.

[ja1 1,166]

I honestly don't know if Makelele would fit into our team anymore. I think players like Martinez and Khedira have taken that role forward, albeit in a slightly different direction. That's what I think Ake coud emulate, getting up and down the pitch with a greater emphasis on mobility and endurance.

I agree. Most top DMs these days, and indeed DMs coming through are more dynamic then they used to be, they are have a more all round game. Examples, Vidal, Khedira, M'vila(not really a top DM but was touted as such a couple of years ago), Bender, Matuidi, Song, Guarin, Capoue, Romulo, Casemiro.. No surprise it coincides with a rise in a 2 men midfield over a 3 man midfield these days. There is more responsibility on both midfielders to provide a certain incisiveness and still protect the back four.

Anyway..I like Aké. I think he has stamped his authority now as a midfielder. I think he could play emergency games at CB, and LB, but I have liked what I've seen from him as a DM. I would not mind him staying here next season as a squad player but only if the squad needed it, not for the sake of it only to see him go on and make 5 appearances all season.

[Joe Cool 388]

Very impressed by him yesterday, the fact that he's 18 makes me incredibly optimistic for what he can bring to the team in the future in terms of playing as a holding midfielder (at least more than a certain John Obi....). Positionally, he seemed quite disciplined and when he was on the ball, he was decent and didn't give it away that much. Good stuff.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I think he is good and I think he is better than Romeu or Mikel.

I would loan him to an EPL team and then sell Mikel and Romeu, buy an world class DM and use Ake and Chalobah and versatile backup options!

[Madmax 9,219]

I think he is good and I think he is better than Romeu or Mikel.

I would loan him to an EPL team and then sell Mikel and Romeu, buy an world class DM and use Ake and Chalobah and versatile backup options!

Football Manager ahoy

[blu35_army 550]

I think he is good and I think he is better than Romeu or Mikel.

I would loan him to an EPL team and then sell Mikel and Romeu, buy an world class DM and use Ake and Chalobah and versatile backup options!

i put a big hope for Romeu before he Injured.. for Mikel,,Couldn't agree more....

[Madmax 9,219]

Some interesting quotes on Goal.com :

The 18-year-old Dutch defender, who joined the London club from Feyenoord in 2011, made his Premier League debut on Boxing Day when he replaced Juan Mata in the closing stages of a 1-0 win at Norwich City, the first of six appearances for the senior side this season.

Ake told Goal of his ambitions for 2013-14:"Hopefully I can do the same as this year, be involved with the first team and training with them a lot and hopefully get more games.

"I got six games this season for the first team, so that's a good start. Hopefully next season I can get more."

Although he could tread a familiar path and go out on loan to gain more experience, the youngster made it clear that it would not be his preferred option. Asked whether any clubs have made a bid for his services on loan, Ake replied: "Not that I know; maybe they asked for me from Chelsea but I haven't heard anything.

"Actually I prefer to stay at Chelsea," he added. "This way I think you learn the most because you're playing with such big players, if you're playing. The other option is to go on loan but we have to see about that."

The Dutchman revealed that spending time with the first team has allowed him to learn from veteran stars like Frank Lampard and John Terry. "A lot, actually," he added, "also David Luiz and Paulo Ferreira – they talk to you about football but also about normal life, like how to live a normal life outside of football. And in football, what to improve, what to do better, and things like that. So they help you a lot.

"From Paulo [i've learned that it's important] to stay the same," Ake went on. "After the Rubin Kazan game a lot of people came to me and said a lot of things so to stay the same and be the same normal person - that's an important thing to learn.

"And inside football, to work hard to improve every day in training. I think that's the most important thing to learn from them."

The versatile youngster has played as a central defender but can also operate at left-back or in a holding midfield role - and it is this position where he sees his long-term future. "I think it's good to be able to play more positions because the manager can put you in more positions," he explained.

"I think my position, when I'm older, is going to be midfielder, because of my height [5ft 11n] as well. I used to play centre-back but in England everyone is big, so my height is a little bit of a problem for defence, maybe."

[Blue Gino 377]

This two slot midfield is suddenly looking a tad overloaded by 2014. Chalobah, Ake, Loftus-Cheek will be damn close by then to make a serious push in starting midfield, and by then you have Mikel, Ramires and Romeu on top of that, all vying for two spots behind the attacking midfield. Mourinho could even add to this by buying another DM. I can't see Chalobah in central defense because he's too much like Luiz and they'll need a steady rock to stay back there to cover them going forward. It's a good problem though because at least you know there is talent from within to build upon now.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

He won't make it here. Not good enough for the DM role.

Loftus Cheek has the best chance.

[Amblève. 4,995]

He won't make it here. Not good enough for the DM role.

Loftus Cheek has the best chance.

The lad's 18 years old FFS. Smh.

[The only place to be 11,313]

He won't make it here. Not good enough for the DM role.

Loftus Cheek has the best chance.

That's some rancid bait you're fishing with there.

Ake is a fantastic talent and at the moment his best asset is probably his versatility, but given time he could make a good run at a midfield spot in the future. He has all the skill and a fantastic reading of the game (as anyone who watched the Everton game will attest to) but he just needs to continue his growth.