Tottenham Opinion: Why Spurs should break the bank to sign Nathan Ake?
According to a report from the Daily Star, Bournemouth star Nathan Ake has attracted interested from Manchester United and Tottenham, while his former club Chelsea are also monitoring his progress.
The Dutchman, 24, left Stamford Bridge to join Bournemouth in a £20m deal at the start of last season. And his rock solid performances at the back this season haven’t gone unnoticed, with Serie A club Napoli apparently tracking the defender since 2018, adds the report.
Ake would be a fantastic addition for the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Napoli but it’s Tottenham that needs the defender the most.
Toby Alderweireld’s future at Tottenham remains in big doubt, with the Daily Mirror claiming Manchester United could swoop for the centre-back in the final two weeks of next summer’s transfer window. Alderweireld has a clause in his current deal which allows him to leave Spurs for £26 million during the final 14 days of the window.
The Belgian would be a huge loss to Mauricio Pochettino’s side but the club will be content to get some money for a player who has just a year to run on his contract and has turned 30 earlier this month. Other than Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen—one of the Premier League’s top defenders—will turn 32 next month that should prompt Pochettino to start looking for the Belgium international’s replacement.
Pochettino has two young, promising centre-backs in Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth in his ranks. Sanchez hasn’t been at his best in his second season at Tottenham, while Foyth is yet to fully adapt to the Premier League. That should be enough for the Argentine tactician to add a defender to his squad after not spending a single penny in the past two transfer windows.
Classy on the ball and strong in the air, Ake could be the solution to Tottenham’s potential defensive conundrum. The dreadlocked hair Dutchman has established himself as one of the Premier League’s top defenders under the astute Eddie Howe. He is the sort of modern-day defender that Pochettino would love to have in his squad.
Ake commands possession, tackles well and rarely panics in pressure situations. The 24-year-old has a decent turn of pace and is also comfortable playing at left-back, something which adds more value to his name. The Netherlands international is also a threat in the opposition box, owing to his strength in the air and heading ability.
Verdict
Signing Ake, as tempting as it may look, will not be cheap for Tottenham, especially with the defender having a contract at the Vitality Stadium until the summer of 2022.
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But Tottenham have to show ambition and break the bank for the former Chelsea defender to compete realistically for the title next season. Ake’s quality and Premier League experience speaks for itself and with the Dutchman being only 24 years old, any investment on him will be worth every penny.
