Arsenal have been advised to make a move for former Chelsea star Nathan Ake in the January window by former player Stewart Robson.
As reported by the Daily Star, Arsenal have been urged to try and sign Nathan Ake from Bournemouth in the ongoing transfer window by former Gunners’ star Stewart Robson, if the Dutchman’s boyhood club Chelsea are not interested.
Arsenal are in the market for defensive reinforcements in January owing to Calum Chambers’s season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury. Even so, the Gunners have been found wanting at the back with the likes of Sokratis, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi not performing consistently enough.
To that end, new manager Mikel Arteta has made it his top priority to sign a centre-back before the end of the month. Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano while Juventus star Daniele Rugani has also emerged as a potential target.
But, former Arsenal star Stewart Robson has urged the club to launch a move for Bournemouth’s Ake. Speaking to Love Sport Radio (h/t Daily Star), Robson said, “I still think Nathan Ake is a good player. There’s talk about him going back to Chelsea because they can buy him for a certain price after they sold him, but that only lasts for another few months.”
“But Nathan Ake is a very good centre-half. He’s not the biggest but he’s got a good spring and I think he’d do well for Arsenal. He’s the sort of player that I think Mikel Arteta would like, so that would be one centre-half. There are a couple of players that have been talked about. Ake would be my choice as a centre-half coming in from Bournemouth.”
Ake has established himself as one of the Premier League’s more reliable centre-halves since moving to Bournemouth a couple of years ago. The 24-year-old has racked up 107 appearances for the Cherries, scoring 10 goals and setting up five more.
Ake has taken the field for Bournemouth on 16 occasions in the 2019-20 campaign, chipping in with a goal and an assist apiece. However, the Netherlands international has missed the last five matches with a hamstring problem.
Ake has constantly been linked with a return to his former club Chelsea. The Blues have first refusal to re-sign the Dutchman for £40 million, having inserted a clause in the deal that saw him leave Stamford Bridge two years ago. And given that Frank Lampard’s side are on the lookout for new additions to their backline, the 24-year-old’s name has popped up again.
But, Robson has advised Arsenal to swoop in for the 11-time capped Netherlands international should Chelsea decide to pass up the opportunity to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Ake is contracted with Bournemouth till 2022. But, should a big club come calling, the Dutchman will be tempted to take up the opportunity. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea activate the option to re-sign him and in case they don’t, whether Arsenal will heed Robson’s advise and launch a move.
