He only made eight league starts for Bournemouth, but Nathan Aké’s performance in those games was enough for Antonio Conte to end the Dutch international’s loan in January in order to make him part of a title winning squad. The 22-year old defender was expected to rotate into Chelsea’s back three and keep the squad fresh as they went after the title. Instead, Aké made only two league appearances and Conte only gave the Dutchman a start after the title had already been won.
The loan recall appears to have been a poor decision as playing time is key for young players and he likely wouldn’t have sat a minute during the second half of the season at Bournemouth. Being around a title-winning squad is good experience, sure, but Aké needs to play. The twice-capped Dutchman is entering the most important summer of his career. He needs to use this opportunity to impress Conte in order to take playing time away from Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta or Kurt Zouma. Otherwise, he risks becoming another name in Chelsea’s loan farm.
After joining Chelsea from Feyenoord as a 16-year old, Aké made his professional debut in December 2012. The left-footed defender has always caught the eye at Chelsea and isn’t one of those players that the Blues loan out who will never get a sniff of the first team. He’s an international caliber player that will have any number of suitors should Chelsea decide to loan him out again. But Aké should be pushing for either a full place in the team or a permanent move elsewhere.
At 22-years old, the defender has outgrown the developmental loan stage. Stability should be on Aké’s mind this summer. Playing every fourth or fifth game at Chelsea doesn’t do him very good. Playing every week for a mid table Premier League club or a top level foreign club could help him fulfill the elite potential that Chelsea saw when they signed him in 2011. That’s why Aké has a huge decision to make after preseason. Does he stay at Chelsea and be a good backup? Or does he move away and quite possibly become a key defender?