"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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