Bournemouth continued their summer recruitment drive this morning with the signing of Chelsea defender Nathan Ake for a club-record fee, believed to be in the region of ยฃ20 million.
The 22-year-old, who spent the first half of last season on loan with the Cherries, put pen to paper on a long-term deal after failing to break into the first team picture at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to the clubโs official website, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe expressed his delight at being able to attract Ake to the club on a permanent basis:
โHe is someone we know all about, having had a very successful loan spell here last season. Nathan is an outstanding young player with a fantastic attitude and a great desire to learn and develop. He has a very bright future ahead of him, and Iโm very pleased to say that future is here.โ
The History
After beginning his youth career at ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord in his native Holland, Ake moved to Chelsea in 2011 at the age of 16.
He was handed his Premier League debut a year later, coming on as a late substitute against Norwich City in December 2012, and made five other appearances in all competitions during the rest of the 2012/13 campaign.
Akeโs progress stalled over the next few seasons, with a loan spell at Championship outfit Reading in April 2015, when he played five matches, his only prolonged spell of first-team action.
The Dutchman was then sent out on loan to Watford for the 2015/16 campaign and gained valuable experience in the top flight, making 24 league appearances, registering one goal and one assist playing almost exclusively at left-back.
Last season, Ake joined Bournemouth on loan and, after initially struggling to break into the starting XI, impressed when given a run of matches at centre-back.
He made 10 league appearances for the Cherries, scoring three goals, before returning to parent club Chelsea in January to feature twice for the Blues during the final weeks of the season.
Ake represented Holland at all age groups from U16s to U21s, scoring 11 goals in 63 matches, before making his senior debut in a 2-1 friendly win over Morocco in May.
The Prospects
Given the strong impression Ake made on the south coast during his loan spell, it came as little surprise to see Bournemouth pursue a permanent deal.
Akeโs insertion into the starting XI coincided with some of the Cherriesโ best performances of the campaign, with his athleticism, tackling and understanding of the game making a real difference to the Bournemouth rearguard.
But it was Akeโs goal threat which proved pivotal during that spell, helping the defender average 6.1 points per start in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) for Howeโs side.
He isnโt alone in terms of Cherriesโ defenders who offer a significant attacking threat, however.
Steve Cook sat seventh among FPL defenders for shots last term with 29, scoring twice, and the centre-back also produced four goals and two assists back in 2015/16.
Charlie Daniels, meanwhile, was the sixth highest-scoring defender in FPL with 134 points, thanks to four goals and three assists, while Adam Smith (one goal and five assists) also supplied a tangible end product.
That quartet could be Howeโs first-choice back four this season, with club captain Simon Francis appearing in danger of losing his starting place in central defence to Ake.
No FPL defender made more errors leading to a goal (three) than the Bournemouth skipper and, at 32 years of age, he may have to settle for a back-up role unless he can usurp Smith at right-back.
Intriguingly, Howe may also consider pushing the forward-thinking Smith into midfield on occasions or become the latest manager to look at a three-man defence, utilising Smith and Daniels as wing-backs. Certainly, this possibility and the Cherries defensive selection warrant close scrutiny over the pre-season.
In terms of comparing Cook and Akeโs defensive statistics, Cook had the edge in terms of minutes per clearance, blocks or interception (CBI), averaging one every 7.18 minutes, slightly superior to Ake (8.84).
The combination of Cookโs set-piece threat and his strong CBI numbers saw him register 17 bonus points in FPL last term, with only three FPL defenders managing more.
However, Ake won 63% of his tackles โ more than any Bournemouth defender last season โ suggesting that he could help improve a backline that conceded 67 goals. However, at 5ft 11in tall he does lack height and won just 55% of his aerial duels – this may be exploited in a Cherries defence that was exposed at set-pieces over the campaign.
Only four teams let in more goals than the Cherries last term, while they also ranked fourth bottom for big chances against (72), highlighting the need for improvement despite keeping a respectable 10 clean sheets.
The arrival of Ake, along with the signing of experienced goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, should certainly boost their shut-out potential. And with all members of the Cherriesโ rearguard also offering an attacking threat, they appear capable of producing healthy Fantasy returns.
Value looks critical in terms of who may hold the edge, with Ake likely to warrant a price tag of 5.0 based both on his goalscoring exploits last term and the fact that Bournemouth now have to be viewed as a solid mid-table team following their ninth place finish.
Daniels and Cook both started last season valued at 5.0, and Daniels, in particular, may be in line for a price hike up to 5.5 this time around. That may even leave us considering Begovic as the value route with a 4.5 price tag a possibility.
The fixture list for Howeโs men is mixed over the first seven Gameweeks. They have favourable home clashes against Watford, Brighton and Hove Albion and Leicester City, along with an opening day trip to West Bromwich Albion, combined with three tough match-ups (MCI, ars, eve).
The addition of the talented Ake, who while expected to start in central defence, offers cover at left-back and as a defensive midfielder, should help shore up a Cherries backline that has at times been a soft touch in the top flight.
The underlying statistics suggest that Cook may hold a slight edge over Ake as a Fantasy prospect though, with the pair perhaps set to be favoured over Daniels if the left-back is subject to a price rise.
Choosing the right Bournemouth defender looks to be a challenge for Fantasy managers. Pre-season and an analysis of the statistics over the opening Gameweeks appears crucial to guiding our hand.
