Chelsea eye a reunion with former defensive ace – A smart move by the Blues?

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly interested in signing Manchester City defender Nathan Ake in this summer transfer window.

The Blues are currently on the lookout for a central defender to strengthen their squad after having lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid on a free transfer, with Andreas Christensen set to join Barcelona on a free transfer too.

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside today, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Chelsea are monitoring Nathan Ake’s situation at Manchester City, with a view to re-signing him. Tuchel is a big fan of the Netherlands international, and with deals for Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde still some way off, the Blues are keeping an eye on Ake, Romano added.

Ake, 27, was on Chelsea’s books between 2011 and 2017 but managed only 17 first-team appearances for them as he largely spent time out on loan. The Dutchman joined Manchester City from Bournemouth in 2020 and has lifted successive Premier League titles with Pep Guardiola’s team.

Nathan Ake to Chelsea – A smart move by the club?

Rudiger was playing some of the best football in his career under Tuchel, but his idea to not renew a contract and join European champions Real Madrid has left a big hole in the Chelsea squad. In addition, the potential departure of Andreas Christensen to Barcelona will leave Tuchel with only Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah as specialist centre-backs.

As a result, the Pensioners have been linked with multiple defenders this summer. Nathan Ake is one of those, as Tuchel looks to bolster his squad’s defensive unit ahead of a gruelling campaign.

Ake has not really managed to establish himself as a regular starter at Manchester City in two years due to strong competition within the squad and injury problems. The 2021-22 campaign was still a better one than his debut season as he managed 27 appearances across all competitions, scoring three goals. With the World Cup in Qatar slated to happen in November, it is imperative the centre-back gets regular game time to secure a place in Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands squad.

Thus, a return to Chelsea makes sense for Ake, where he will have the opportunity of playing more games as compared to Manchester City. Tuchel has largely operated with a back-three system ever since arriving at Stamford Bridge last year, and Ake is no stranger to that. The 27-year-old often plays in a back three for the Netherlands, so he should be able to adapt to Chelsea’s current system without much fuss.

The Hague-born star has got solid Premier League experience under his banner, whilst his ball-playing ability, set-piece prowess and versatility to operate as a wing-back would add a lot of value to the Pensioners’ squad. With that in mind, Chelsea must quickly re-sign Ake, who, at 27, deserves to play a lot more regularly than spending the prime years of his career on the bench at Manchester City.