What’s the story?
Antonio Conte has revealed why he has recalled Nathan Aké from his loan spell at Bournemouth. The defender was playing a central role in the Cherries defence but is now back at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to the media, Conte revealed, “I called him back because I think he’s showing that he’s ready to stay in the squad of Chelsea. Chelsea is his home. In the last season he played with Watford, and this season he was with Bournemouth. He’s shown he deserves to stay at a great team like Chelsea. I’m pleased he’s come back.”
“Ake gives me an important option because we are playing with three central defenders. He can play on the left and in the middle. It’s important to see in training sessions if he can also play wing-back.” added the Chelsea manager.
In case you didn’t know...
Nathan Ake was enjoying under Eddie Howe at and was made the central figure in the Cherries defence. He also became a fan favourite at Dean Court despite playing just 12 matches for the club this season.
Bournemouth are currently 9th in the league table, and Ake is responsible for at least 6 of the 25 points they have collected this season. He scored the winner against Liverpool and Stoke City and if it wasn't for his goals, they would have been 15th in the league table. He also scored in the 3-1 defeat at home to Southampton.
The heart of the matter
Antonio Conte has been on the hunt for a central defender this month, and he's decided to bring back a Chelsea loanee rather than spending. The Chelsea manager has been keeping an eye on the defender who has impressed on loan at Watford last season and Bournemouth this season.
The former Juventus manager has also revealed the positions he thinks Ake can fit into. He believed Ake would be ideal to on the left side of the defence or right in the middle. Apart from that, Conte has said that he wants to experiment with Ake on the wings.
What’s next?
Ake is expected to be on the bench for at least for the next 3-4 games. The Dutchman would be then eased into the team, and is likely to start against Brentford in the FA Cup 4th round.
Once he's settled into Conte's system, he might replace Alonso in the team with Azpilicueta moving to the wings and Gary Cahill moving to the right side of the defence.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Bringing back Ake instead of buying a new defender shows a change in mentality at Chelsea. Conte has started to trust in youngsters and is now given a big boost to all the other loanees.
Ake is a great addition to the Chelsea squad as they have no reliable defender in the squad if one of their main men got injured. Ivanovic is expected to leave the club this summer along with John Terry.
