Newcastle United have already been gifted a vital glowing endorsement regarding summer transfer target Nathan Ake. The former Bournemouth man is rumoured to be of interest for the Magpies, with current boss Eddie Howe a particularly large fan.
The latter comes as no surprise, given Ake moved from the Cherries to the North West back in 2020, for a fee totalling £41million. With his youth pedigree spanning across Chelsea, Reading and Watford, the 27-year-old is now a two time Premier League winner.
Often hailed for his versatility across the board by Guardiola, Ake has been asked countless times to fill in at both centre back and full back for the Blues, often performing to the highest level each and every time. Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte have this season been largely chosen ahead of him, hence the centre back only starting a handful of Premier League games along the way.
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"He is so focused, so concentrated," began Guardiola following City's home win over Burnley earlier this season. He is an intelligent guy and on Saturday our build-up was with three at the back with Aymer more in the centre and John more on the right. It suited us perfectly."
Given Dan Burn's arrival from Brighton earlier this campaign, whispers have began to build regarding the next step for the Magpies. Sven Botman is another name who has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle, but in Ake, the Premier League experience is imminently clear for all to see.
“Against a team like Burnley, they are strong in the air and at set pieces and corners and it helped to have a player Nathan alongside John, Aymer and Rodri then Ferna in the last few minutes. He’s a joy to have him - Nathan is a great guy. He always trains well and is loved by the team. This type of person when I can give them minutes, I am really pleased for them.”
