Chelsea have decided to recall young defender Nathan Ake from his season-long loan deal at Bournemouth. The 21-year-old had become a regular starter for the Cherries in recent months and impressed at the heart of the Bournemouth defence.
Ake was also loaned out to Watford last season, where he won the Hornets Young Player of the Year award. No doubt Ake is a young defender with an undoubted talent, which seems to have been acknowledged by Chelsea boss Antonio Conte’s decision to recall the defender from his loan spell.
Conte has reportedly been looking at strengthening his centre-back options in the transfer window. However, it seems the Italian has decided to use an option that is already contracted to the Blues and not spend big on a high-profile centre-back, not yet anyway.
Chelsea switch to a 3-4-3 formation has made the need for another centre-back option slightly more urgent. With the likes of John Terry, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic all in their thirties, Conte is obviously looking to build for the future.
Ake is not just a player for the future, but an option for the present. The young Dutchman has made just five appearances for Chelsea in the Premier League since making his debut in 2012, though.
Although Ake has played much of his recent football as a centre-back, the youngster is versatile and is capable of playing at left-back and as a holding midfielder. His performances for Bournemouth this season suggest that he would not let Chelsea down if he was chosen to play for the Blues.
Antonio Conte has revived Chelsea and brought about a positive change of atmosphere at Stamford Bridge. Making use of one of the clubs more talented youngsters would only endear himself to the Blues fans.
Nathan Ake seems to have already proven that he is up to the job of playing regularly in the top-flight. The question is will he play regularly in the top-flight for Chelsea?