"Chelsea is a great club and I learned so much there, but this is a new step and the right place for me to develop even more," an excited Nathan Ake said on June 30, 2017, after departing Chelsea to join AFC Bournemouth.
The Dutch defender was bought by Chelsea in 2010, when he was just 15 years old, and spent around two years in the youth system at Cobham before joining up with the first-team. In December 2012, Ake made his Premier League debut for the Blues, as a late substitute for Juan Mata away at Norwich City.
The impression Ake gave senior officials at Chelsea was clearly a positive one as in August 2013, he was rewarded with a new five-year contract at Stamford Bridge. However, a flurry of loan spells followed for the Dutchman – spending time at Reading, Watford and Bournemouth.
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Ake spent the first half of the 2016/17 season with Bournemouth before being recalled by Chelsea. The now 27-year-old went on to feature five times in the second half of the season for the Blues, as Antonio Conte clinched the Premier League title in his first term at the west London club.
However, his future didn't look to be at Chelsea. Bournemouth were huge fans of him after what he managed on loan in 2016 and then spent a club-record £20million on signing him permanently.
Ake's intentions were clear: he wanted to play first-team football in the Premier League on a regular basis. At Bournemouth, there was a great opportunity to do just that. Speaking about the decision to allow Ake to leave, Conte hinted that it was more to do with the club rather than his own call. He said: "My answer is always the same. I can give my opinion to my club but then the last decision is for the club and this must be very clear."
Asked if he could understand Ake's decision, the Italian responded: "To play regularly is not simple. It means one between Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill or David Luiz does not play. It is not simple and when you decide to stay in a great team, you have to accept a big challenge and show you deserve better than another player. But it is normal otherwise you take another decision."
Ake insisted he was not angry at Chelsea despite the lack of minutes he was handed when returning from his loan spell at Bournemouth in 2017. Speaking to the Evening Standard, Ake said: "When I returned from loan I thought I would get more chances to play. I had a few games, but I wanted to have that feeling of playing every week. It's what I need at my age.
"Maybe what happened after the FA Cup semi-final was a reality check. After playing in a game like that, you want to play again. But I was conscious that the team playing every week was doing really well. They were competing for the title.
"I understand the manager's point of view at Chelsea. They have a lot of pressure on them and maybe it's difficult to throw in youngsters. I'm not angry at Chelsea or disappointed. I really had a good time there and learnt a lot.
"At the end of the season I just felt that the time had come. Chelsea were disappointed and wanted to keep me, but they understood as well. They didn’t want to stop me from fulfilling my dreams."
Chelsea plan Ake offer
football.london reported earlier on Thursday that Chelsea were planning on making an official offer – believed to be around the £30million mark – to Manchester City for Ake. The Blues are hoping to bring in two new defenders this summer.
However, our colleagues at the Manchester Evening News are reporting that the Premier League champions will not let the Netherlands international leave the Etihad Stadium unless they have a replacement lined up. City will not even consider offers for Ake unless it's north of £50million.
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