The ESPN FC crew discuss Nathan Ake’s upside and £15 million price tag as reports link Chelsea to the Dutch defender.

✔ Subscribe to ESPN+: http://espnplus.com/soccer/youtube
✔ Subscribe to ESPN FC on YouTube: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoESPNFC

50 Comments

  1. Ake is class, the primary times he has been accused of having a poor game was when was was playing along side a poor, injury-ridden lb in benjamin mendy. When playing alongside strong players he has demonstrated that he fits right in. He scored a decent amount from set pieces and won many aerial duels, though he is smaller than the average cb. He has also shown proficiency when playing at Lb and he also passing decently well as well. He's an all around good cb, who also defends well under pressure, like he dod when he played against Atleti during the 2nd leg

  2. City don't need to sell so they can set any price on a player with 3 years left. Look what Brighton is doing with their left back….he is not worth 60mil but that's their price.

  3. No one knows whether Sterling will blossom at CFC or fail. Salah and Kevin were mediocre players when Morinho got rid of them. Look where they are today! Let's stop being judgemental because we don't know how a player will turn out under different circumstances. The same analogy applies to Nathan Eke as well.

  4. Pointless comparing him to a signing how many years ago when the market was different. Compared to Harry Maguire it's a bargain. I can see it's not an "exciting" signing for Chelsea fans because he doesn't seem like a new face and they may feel like they already know him as a player but I'm confident he's a far better player than when he left Chelsea. It's a fair price for the player he is and what he brings. The fact is, Ake was £41m when City bought him from a side that was relegated from the PL that year. No matter what the haters say, the fact that City bought him for that price should tell you something on it's own. He was Bournemouth's best defender, he's good with the ball at his feet, his own stats were good enough for City's scouts to suggest he was good value back then for that price and he's improved since then.

    The lack of game time is mainly down to the Stones and Dias partnership being so strong when he signed. Even Laporte was struggling to get back in the team, who is an excellent defender in his own right, who would walk into most teams. The other reason is, since arriving at City he's had a lot injury problems but last season he was finally coming good, showing exactly why City wanted him. We are talking MOTM performances against Atletico Madrid, we are talking City fans who didn't rate him not moaning and not worried at all when he was starting in the first 11 because he was looking very decent. Pep spent a couple of season training him, teaching him the system, lets not act like £50m is asking too much from City's perspective… How on earth can anyone argue City should take a net loss if Chelsea want him? It doesn't make sense, everyone wants a bargain when it comes to City. He's got 3 years left on his contract and City would be more than happy to keep him if they don't get a fair price. I think Ake would understand that City didn't price him out, that Chelsea obviously didn't value him enough. Name me some homegrown players who are better for the same money, who are also PL proven. Going abroad will be cheaper but moving to the PL doesn't always work out, especially with the younger defenders. Chelsea are also in the midst of a rebuild and managing the numbers of foreign players could be why Ake is top of the list.

  5. Ake facts(feel free to read it in Benitez's voice and add "fact" at the end of every point):
    1: He was bought for £41m from a relegated PL side, he was their best defender and he's decent with the ball at his feet. Eddie Howe probably deserves a mention but City only do these signings if they see something in the data. It's got "big data" written all over it, as does the Ortega GK signing this summer.
    2: He's a Dutch international AND he qualifies for homegrown(which comes with a premium by default). Chelsea may need to balance the number of foreign players going forward with all the changes they are making this summer, to comply with PL and UEFA rules.
    3: He had a great end to the season and turned in some man of the match performances in the league and particularly in the CL. Namely that Athletico Madrid game where most City fans were raving about him. After that period of form, there wasn't a City fan worried when he was in the first 11, that shows you the improvement in him under Pep. Howe tried to sign him again at Newcastle this summer but probably doesn't have the cash with all the other signings. That's if Ake even wanted to go to Newcastle.
    4: He has 3 years left on his contract and City would be happy to keep him.

    All this and people are saying £50m is "way too much". It's just £9m more than City paid from a relegated club and he's definitely improved under Pep. He would walk into Tuchel's style of play, tactically or otherwise. It's one of the safest buys out there for Chelsea this summer and good value. City defo wont be taking a net loss on this transfer that's for sure, so you can forget that idea. Why would they?

  6. Listen Chelsea fan here
    Ake knows the PL And somewhat young I think £50 is fair
    I mean kounde cost more De Light way more
    Garviol isn’t leaving RB Leipzig
    how else is there, we need CBs
    Maybe Coulibaly

  7. Hate it or love it… Ake is an upgrade to Christiansen… he can play central, good passer of the ball, can hold the ball and soak up pressure just like T. Silva does and can also play at left centre back. If T.Silva is not available, who else can slot in????? I see why TT wants him…. More to do with him being more versatile, and trust the system to cover his flaws just like Rudiga.

  8. Rudiger was an average player before Tuchel came in. Fast forward 1 and a half seasons and he’s now a European Champion and got a big summer move to Real Madrid. Tuchel has been pushing to get Ake for some time now so clearly he has a plan for him

  9. Craig is absolutely right!
    Ake is a decent player but NOT a shutdown defender.
    The $50 price tag is a reflection of supply scarcity rather than talent worthiness, imho

  10. I think 41 million is a good price to spend he went to city for that price, likely to have improved, I think it's a good deal, can play lb and cb, so it provides versatility for us. 40 to 50 million is a good price for him imo. City I'm pretty sure want at least what they payed for him which is reasonable, considering he's likely to have improved under pep

  11. Dont understand what ESPN's problem is!!! Brighton asking 60m for a 1 season old PL fullback!! ManCity's issues with CBs are well documented and they definitely need backups!! no other CB they are interested in is gonna be cheap!! Ake is on a long term contract which means ManCity dont need to sell!! So, they should be demanding way more than 50m for Ake, and if Chelsea think its high they should look at other options!!!

  12. Resigning a player for more than you sold him for and all he did at city was sit on the bench 🤣if united did this we would be crucified

  13. If Chelsea pays 50 for Ake who they sold for 20 and city bought for 40? And he was like 4th 5th choice for Ake? Lol typical Chelsea business, sometimes as a fan I’m appalled

  14. 50M for Ake is daylight robbery, I thought we paid too much for Sterling, he only had one year left on his deal and now Chelsea wanna pay 50M for Ake, jeez, we're single handedly gonna help Man City pass FFP regulations

  15. 50 million for him is a joke. I wish there was a buy back clause for Tomori. He is turned out to be good. Moreover, Ake wasn’t even city’s first choice CB. Not more than 30 million for this guy.

Leave A Reply