3 reasons Arsenal should have gone all in for Nathan Ake

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Bournemouth won’t be in the Premier League next season but it looks as if Nathan Ake will be.

Sky Sports reported last week that Manchester City had a £41 million bid accepted for the Dutch international after the Cherries were relegated from the top flight.

City need to bolster their rearguard but so do Arsenal and we’ve got three reasons why Mikel Arteta should have gone all in for the Dutchman…

He was affordable in the current climate

£41 million is a lot of money but in a transfer market where Harry Maguire moved for almost twice that around a year ago, it’s not a bad price.

Crucially, Arsenal could stretch to that price, especially now that they have secured qualification for next season’s Europa League.

This isn’t a deal which would have blown them out of the water, even accounting for the current financial uncertainty.

He’s left-footed

Arteta is keen to play out from the back at the Emirates Stadium and having a left-footer at centre half can be a massive help on that score.

Ake also has experience of playing at left back, so he’s comfortable going into those wider areas to take the ball.

Kieran Tierney has played a hybrid role between left back and centre half at times under Arteta and Ake could have done something similar.

On top of that, City already have a left-footer in Aymeric Laporte and perhaps Pep Guardiola won’t play him and Ake together.

If Arsenal played on that idea – that Ake won’t be an automatic first choice at City – they maybe could have brought him to north London.

Saliba needs a reliable partner

William Saliba is set to wear the red shirt this season after another campaign on loan with St Etienne.

He has huge talent but he needs someone to show him the ropes at Premier League level.

David Luiz has improved under Arteta, but Saliba needs a more reliable partner.

Ake and Saliba would have had years in front of them at the heart of Arsenal’s defence, but now Arteta is still searching for that crucial new central defender this summer. Ake represents an opportunity missed.