Chelsea made big mistake in selling £41m star who’s now worth more than Nkunku
Even though Chelsea has made significant investments since Todd Boehly took over in May 2022, they will definitely need another defender this summer.
This season, Mauricio Pochettino’s team has given up 57 goals in the Premier League, five of which came against Arsenal, a rival team, earlier this week. The defense is beginning to show weaknesses.
The club now has center backs Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashle, who cost £38.5 million and £35 million, respectively. Journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that veteran defender Thiago Silva will depart Stamford Bridge at the end of the current campaign.
But, if the team had held onto one talent, who has thrived in the Premier League since leaving the Blues, they could have avoided having to spend more money.
Nathan Ake’s stats at Chelsea
29-year-old Nathan Ake was a Chelsea player between July 2011, when he signed from Feyenoord, originally joining the club’s youth setup, to July 2017, when he left to join Bournemouth in a permanent deal worth around £20m.
During the vast majority of his time at Stamford Bridge, he was either out on loan or featuring for various of the Blues’ youth sides.
However, the Dutchman made his Premier League debut for the Blues during the 2012/13 campaign, featuring three times for a total of just 90 minutes.
Following just two appearances in two seasons, he would move on loan to Watford, starting 24 games in the Premier League for the Hornets, but it wasn’t enough for Ake to force his way into the Blues first-team.
The centre-back would depart Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2017, joining the Cherries – in a move that would allow him to excel in England’s top flight.
Nathan Ake’s market value in 2024
Nearly seven years on from his Chelsea departure, Ake has thrived more than anyone could have anticipated, becoming a regular part of Manchester City’s starting lineup, making 41 appearances last season as the club won the treble. He’s already made 39 this season as they fight to win the Premier League for the sixth time in seven years.
Pep Guardiola’s side paid the Cherries a huge £41m for Ake’s signature, which at the time seemed like a steep figure, but he’s proved to be worth every penny, as demonstrated by his appearances for the club in recent seasons.
The “unbelievable” star, as described by teammate Jack Grealish, has seen his market value skyrocket in recent months, with the Dutchman now worth £51m, as per Football Observatory.
His subsequent figure is £17m more than current Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku, who’s now only valued at £34m after his awful luck with injuries throughout this season.
Ake would certainly stroll into the club’s current starting lineup, with the Dutchman also having the versatility to fill in at left-back – a position that has caused the club multiple problems with Ben Chilwell’s continuous struggles with injury.
With the likes of Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill also sidelined to further deplete the defensive ranks, it is easy to see how Ake would smoothly slot into Pochettino’s injury-ravaged squad in the present day, had he never been sold.
Every Chelsea fan will be wishing they kept hold of the defender given his recent form for the Premier League champions, with the club still paying the price for Antonio Conte’s decision to offload the 29-year-old during his tenure as Blues boss.