Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want to reunite Jose Mourinho with Nathan Ake as Bournemouth battle against relegation from the Premier League.
It’s always worth being a little wary of a player shining in a struggling side. As Liverpool fans will tell you, the ‘Simon Mignolet syndrome’ is a very real thing.
But Nathan Ake, at the heart of an often erratic Bournemouth backline, continues to dazzle amongst the dross. The Dutch international looks like the complete centre-half already at the age of just 24; he can pass, tackle and head the ball with precision, while boasting superb reading of the game and an impressive turn of pace.
With 11 league goals in three-and-a-half years for The Cherries, he is rather useful at the other end too.
Bournemouth threw away the points during Sunday’s 2-1 loss at Sheffield United but Ake once again emerged from a defeat with his reputation enhanced. There were ten successful clearances, five aerial battles won and an eye-catching 87 per cent pass completion rate.
One superb block tackle on Oli McBurnie was a piece of defending reminiscent of Ake’s former Chelsea team-mate John Terry.
And with Tottenham fans everywhere coming to terms with the idea that Jan Vertonghen’s time in North London is coming to an end, the similarly left-footed Ake looks like a ready-made replacement for a modern-day club legend.
According to The Mail, Spurs are keeping a watchful eye on a defender who played under Mourinho for Chelsea before sealing a record-breaking £20 million move to the South Coast.
In the eyes of many a Tottenham supporter, Ake aced his audition on Sunday.
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