Ake confirmed on loan

[No Fixed Abode]

Nathan Ake has today joined Reading on loan until 22 April.

The Dutch Under-21 international joined Chelsea in the summer of 2011, and has since made 11 appearances for the first team, while also helping the club to FA Youth Cup success in 2012.

You can keep up with Ake’s progress with Championship side Reading, where he will link up with Chelsea team-mate Nathaniel Chalobah, here on the official club website.

[seanboyd_2]

It's a very short loan but welcome to the club Ake!

[AthleticoSpizz]

Excellent news for the lad !

[3points]

Strange signing given he's a centre back usually and we signed knight a couple of weeks ago. Unless he's going to play as a defensive midfielder (perhaps Chalobah's injury is worse than expected)

[URZZZZZ]

Initial loan is a month with chance to extend it

[No Fixed Abode]

Strange signing given he's a centre back usually and we signed knight a couple of weeks ago. Unless he's going to play as a defensive midfielder (perhaps Chalobah's injury is worse than expected)

He's been playing more as a defensive midfielder of late. BTW - he's also cup-tied as he came on as sub against Watford.

[SCIAG]

Wait, he's cup tied?

Joke signing then. I can tolerate Chalobah/Bertrand/Afobe because they are English, but some Dutch kid from Chelsea to play in dead rubbers? Nah. Play Kuhl.

I mean, I've seen him have decent games on the telly, but I really don't care if he's the second coming of Claude Makelele, we should play someone who is actually going to be with us next season.

It's tempting to jump to "Clarke doesn't really care about our young players", but I think the truth is that he doesn't like midfielders who are less than 6 foot tall - hence his shunning of Norwood and Guthrie, as well as Kuhl.

[Royal Ginger]

Didn't see that coming.

Maybe at left back? Has Obita croaked it?

[Simon's Church]

Norwood and Ake are the same height.

Maybe Clarke just doesn't like white people.

[sandman]

He's trying to get us definitely safe first and then he'll give the younger players a chance.

[3points]

Given he is playing more at centre midfield, then Chalobah is probably out for the next month which is a real shame.

Or, perhaps, SC is lining him up for next season

[Winston Smith]

could be a player SC knows will be available this summer

[No Fixed Abode]

Oh - and I forgot to say.

FIRST WITH THE NEWS (again)

[Nameless]

We're being paid 35k a week to give him games ...

[sandman]

Another Chelsea Player can he play next 8 games.....? reading going to be in very deep trouble if we lose next 2 games at home

Swoon.

[SCIAG]

Norwood really 5'11? Aké only 5'11 despite playing centre back?

Replace my comments about size with ones about general playing style then. Chelsea "under" Clarke were all about power in central midfield. Lampard had some guile, but it wasn't the main part of his game. Then he had Yacob and Mulumbu at West Brom (unless Yacob joined later?).

We're never going to have an all rounder like Lampard (well, maybe Tshibola, if he learned to score ten times as many goals), so Clarke's style seems fundamentally at odds with the club's development policy, which emphasises little central playmakers like Kuhl, Kelly, Husin, Waritay and East. Even if he isn't explicitly against using young players, the early signs are that he's not likely to actually use them.

I realise I'm in danger of massively overreacting here but this is exactly the sort of signing we shouldn't be making. Coppell and McDermott are probably spinning in their graves.

FWIW, Aké, like Chalobah, is under contract until 2018, and Chelsea will want a big fee for him. We've got no chance of securing him long term.

[Zammo]

Oh - and I forgot to say.

FIRST WITH THE NEWS (again)

Defo need to get out more, m8.

[sandman]

Thought he was out already.

[No Fixed Abode]

Oh - and I forgot to say.

FIRST WITH THE NEWS (again)

Defo need to get out more, m8.

I've been out too much lately m9. Big sesh in Oxford over the weekend. How was B&Q?

[No Fixed Abode]

Thought he was out already.

xx