Nathan Aké

Nathan Aké

Aké playing for Chelsea in 2013
Personal information
Full name Nathan Benjamin Aké[1]
Date of birth (1995-02-18) 18 February 1995
Place of birth The Hague, Netherlands
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Bournemouth
Number 5
Youth career
VV Wilhelmus
2003–2007 ADO Den Haag
2007–2011 Feyenoord
2011–2012 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2017 Chelsea 7 (0)
2015 → Reading (loan) 5 (0)
2015–2016 → Watford (loan) 24 (1)
2016–2017 → Bournemouth (loan) 10 (3)
2017– Bournemouth 0 (0)
National team‡
2009–2010 Netherlands U15 5 (0)
2010–2011 Netherlands U16 6 (3)
2011–2012 Netherlands U17 27 (3)
2012–2013 Netherlands U19 8 (3)
2013–2017 Netherlands U21 22 (2)
2017– Netherlands 2 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 May 2017.
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 May 2017

Nathan Benjamin Aké (born 18 February 1995) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Bournemouth and the Netherlands national team.

Club career

Chelsea

Early career

Aké agreed to join the Chelsea youth system from Feyenoord in 2011 at the age of 16.[3] He had played at Feyenoord since the age of 12 after joining the club from ADO Den Haag.[4]

He made his Premier League début on 26 December 2012 against Norwich City as a 17-year-old, replacing Juan Mata in added time at the end of a 1–0 win at Carrow Road.[5] He made his first start for the club in the FA Cup on 27 February 2013, in a 2–0 win against Championship side Middlesbrough.[6] He was chosen to start in a defensive midfield position for Chelsea in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final clash with Rubin Kazan in Russia on 11 April, a match that finished in a 3–2 loss but resulted in a 5–4 aggregate victory.[7] Aké was an unused substitute for Chelsea in the Europa League final against Benfica in Amsterdam on 16 May, which Chelsea won 2–1.[8] He was voted Chelsea's Young Player of the Year on 16 May,[9] and made his first Premier League start three days later in the 2–1 win against Everton at Stamford Bridge on the last day of the campaign.

On 8 August 2013, Aké signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea, lasting until 2018.[10] Following his permanent promotion to the first team, on 21 October 2014 Aké made his Champions League debut from the bench, coming into the game for Cesc Fàbregas in the 60th minute during a 6–0 home win over Maribor, and provided an assist for Eden Hazard's second goal.[11]

Loan spells

On 25 March 2015, Aké was loaned to Championship club Reading for a month,[12] making his first of five appearances against Cardiff City in a 1–1 draw ten days later.[13] Although he only made one league appearance for Chelsea in the whole season, as a substitute in a 3–0 loss at West Bromwich Albion on 18 May,[14] manager José Mourinho stated that he would receive a winner's medal for his contribution to the team that season.[15]

On 14 August 2015, Aké completed a season-long loan move to newly promoted Premier League team Watford,[16] after having signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea.[17] Eleven days later, he made his debut for the Hornets in a League Cup second round match against Preston North End, which ended in a 1–0 defeat for his side.[18] Aké played his first league game coming off the bench against Newcastle United 19 September 2015, helping the Hornets hold on for a 2–1 win.[19] He scored his first senior goal on 20 December, opening a 3–0 win over Liverpool at Vicarage Road in the fourth minute, after Ádám Bogdán dropped a corner kick.[20]

During his time with the Hornets, manager Quique Sánchez Flores primarily deployed Aké as a left-back.[21] His performance and work ethics earned him the Watford's Young Player of the Season award.[22]

Aké during his loan spell at Watford

On 29 June 2016, Aké joined Bournemouth on loan for the 2016–17 campaign.[23] On 21 August 2016, he made his Bournemouth debut in a 1–0 away defeat against West Ham United, replacing Jordan Ibe due to team-mate, Harry Arter's dismissal after a challenge on Cheikhou Kouyaté.[24] Following the defeat to West Ham, Aké made his full debut against Morecambe in the Second Round of the EFL Cup on 24 August 2016.[25] On 19 November 2016, in his first league start, Aké scored his first goal for Bournemouth in a 1–0 away victory over Stoke City.[26]

On 4 December 2016, Bournemouth played Liverpool and overturned a 3–1 deficit with 15 minutes to go to win the game 4–3, Aké scoring the winning goal after 93 minutes. This was his third Premier League goal and the second against Liverpool.

Return to Chelsea

Aké was recalled by Chelsea on 8 January 2017,[27] making his first appearance for the club since the recall on 28 January in a 4–0 FA Cup fourth round victory over fellow West London club Brentford.[28] He was also selected to start in Chelsea's 2–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round of the same competition on 18 February.[29]

On 22 April, Aké started alongside David Luiz and César Azpilicueta in central defence in Chelsea's 4–2 FA Cup semi-final victory over rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.[30]

Bournemouth

On 30 June 2017, Aké signed a contract with Premier League club Bournemouth, on a permanent basis, for a club record fee of £20 million, with the player officially re-joining the club the following day, when the 2017 transfer window opened.[31] On 21 July 2017, it was reported that his former club, Chelsea, had inserted a buy-back clause for Aké.[32]

International career

Aké has represented the Netherlands at every youth level since his under-15 début in 2009, making 54 appearances in total.[33] He has captained both the U-17 and the U-19 sides. Aké was selected into both squads that won the UEFA European Under-17 Championships in 2011 and 2012 in Serbia and in Slovenia, respectively.[34]

Aké was also eligible to represent Côte d'Ivoire through his father Moise.[35]

Aké made his international début in a friendly against Morocco which the Netherlands won 2–1.[36]

Style of play

Aké has been praised for his versatility, being able to play at both full-back, centre-back and in defensive midfield, which has been attributed to a good work ethic, professionalism and gifted technique. His calmness on the ball and appearance have led to comparisons to former Dutch legend and Chelsea player Ruud Gullit, with his versatility compared to David Luiz.[37]

Aké stated that even though he has played as a defender in recent seasons, he sees himself as a holding midfielder and that his favourite position is in the midfield.[21]

Personal life

Nathan Aké's father is from the Ivory Coast.[38][39]

Career statistics

As of match played 15 May 2017 [40][41]

Club

Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea 2012–13 Premier League 3010002[lower-alpha 1]00060
2013–14 10000000–10
2014–15 1010201[lower-alpha 2]0–50
2016–17 203000––50
Total 7050203000170
Bournemouth 2016–17 (loan) Premier League 1030020––123
2017–18 000000––00
Total 1030020——00
Reading (loan) 2014–15 Championship 500000––50
Watford (loan) 2015–16 Premier League 2413010––281
Career total 46480503000624
  1. ↑ Appearances in the UEFA Europa League.
  2. ↑ Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League.

International

National teamYearAppsGoals
Netherlands 201720
Total20

Honours

Aké (wearing No.6) playing for Chelsea against Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup; which they went on to win.

Club

Chelsea[40]

International

Netherlands[40]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Clubs submit retained and released lists". Premier League. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Player Profile: Nathan Aké". Premier League. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "Chelsea spark Feyenoord fury as Blues lure 15-year-old defender Nathan Ake to London". Daily Mail. 22 Dec 2010.
  4. ↑ "Nathan Aké, oud Wilhelmus Jeugd speler, definitief naar Chelsea FC" (in Dutch). V.V. Wilhelmus. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Phillips, Owen. "Norwich 0–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  6. ↑ "Middlesbrough 0–2 Chelsea" BBC Sport. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Chelsea struggle to finish off Rubin Kazan but reach semi-finals". The Guardian. 11 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Benfica 1 Chelsea 2". The Sun. 15 May 2013.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "New Deal for Aké". Chelsea F.C. 8 Aug 2013.
  11. ↑ "Didier Drogba scored his first goal since rejoining Chelsea as they recorded their biggest Champions League win with a dominant victory against Maribor at Stamford Bridge.". BBC Sport. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "Royals Sign Nathan Ake on Loan". Readingfc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Nathan Ake handed Reading debut". Sportsmole.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  14. ↑ "West Brom inflicted a third league defeat of the season on champions Chelsea in an eventful game at The Hawthorns.". BBC Sport. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  15. ↑ Every Chelsea player to get a Premier League medal says Jose Mourinho
  16. ↑ "OFFICIAL: Aké Joins Hornets On Loan". Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "New deal for Aké". Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "Championship Preston reached round three of the Capital One Cup as Marnick Vermijl's goal saw off Premier League Watford, who finished with 10 men". Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "Newcastle United vs. Watford 1 – 2 (9/19/15)". 19 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Barlow, Matt (20 December 2015). "Watford 3–0 Liverpool: Nathan Ake capitalises on Adam Bogdan howler and Odion Ighalo strikes to condemn Jurgen Klopp's men to defeat as Hornets move a point off the Premier League top four". Daily Mail. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Premier League boss explains why he has signed this Chelsea defender". Daily Star. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  22. 1 2 Barlow, Matt (18 May 2016). "Watford: END OF SEASON AWARDS: Gomes Named 2015/16 Player Of The Season". Watford Official Site. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Ake loaned to the Cherries". Chelsea F.C. 29 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "West Ham United 1–0 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  25. ↑ "Team news: Morecambe vs AFC Bournemouth – Ten changes from West Ham United defeat". A.F.C. Bournemouth. 24 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "Stoke City 0–1 Bournemouth". BBC Sports. 19 November 2016.
  27. ↑ "Nathan Ake: Chelsea recall defender early from Bournemouth loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  28. ↑ Lythell, Phil (28 January 2017). "Willian leads impressive Chelsea to big FA Cup fourth round win vs. Brentford". ESPN FC. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
  29. ↑ "Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Chelsea". BBC. 18 February 2017.
  30. ↑ "Chelsea 4–2 Tottenham". BBC. 22 April 2017.
  31. ↑ "Nathan Ake: Bournemouth sign Chelsea defender for a club record fee". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  32. ↑ Street, Sam (21 July 2017). "What is a buy-back clause? And have Chelsea inserted them in Nathan Ake, Nathaniel Chalobah and Bertrand Traore deals?". The Sun. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  33. ↑ "N. AKÉ". SOCCERWAY. Retrieved 26 Sep 2014.
  34. ↑ "Captain Aké learns from Chelsea stars". UEFA. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  35. ↑ "Chelsea star Ake could snub Netherlands for Ivory Coast". Goal.com. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  36. ↑ "Ake makes Holland Debut in Friendly". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  37. ↑ "Ruud boy: Chelsea youth star Ake is a mini Gullit with his dreadlocks and cool head". Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 Feb 2013.
  38. ↑ "Nathan Aké on Watford, Mourinho and the Chelsea loanees’ WhatsApp group". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 Apr 2016.
  39. ↑ "Near and Far: Nathan Ake". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  40. 1 2 3 Nathan Aké at Soccerway
  41. ↑ "Nathan Ake". Soccerbase. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  42. ↑ "Chelsea Annual Awards". Retrieved 22 August 2016.
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