Tony Cascarino has claimed that rumoured Newcastle United transfer target, Nathan Ake, is a ‘top-quality’ player.
The former striker added that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, who managed Ake at Bournemouth, ‘loves a versatile player’, as he told talkSPORT.
Ake isn’t a regular at Manchester City, with the likes of John Stones, Ruben Diaz and Aymeric Laporte ahead of him in the pecking order.
But, back in 2020, Pep Guardiola brought Ake to the club from Bournemouth for £41 million (Sky Sports), so he clearly saw something in the player that was worth taking a punt on.
Nonetheless, with rumours surfacing that Howe could be in line for a reunion with Ake at St James’ Park, Cascarino backed the idea of the transfer happening.
“He’s done really well,” said Cascarino. “He did well at Bournemouth. He has done well at Man City.
“Okay, he has found it very hard to break in because they have Laporte, Stones and Dias, which has been very trickery. And he can sometimes play in that fullback position.
“He can be versatile and I think Eddie (Howe) loves a versatile player. Look, Man City do let players go and if you can be a vulture, and get one of their players, then he’s a top-quality player.”
AKE SIGNING WOULD ELEVATE NEWCASTLE UNITED
Whilst Newcastle’s long-term plans are to get into Europe and beyond, at this moment in time, they just have to beat the competition around them.
In January, the Magpies brought in the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn which allowed them to finish above the likes of Crystal Palace, Brentford and Southampton.
If Ake signs, Newcastle will only continue to distance themselves from those teams and close the gap on the likes of Wolves and Brighton ahead of them.
They are the small steps Newcastle need to take if this long-term project is to be a success because it’s going to be a bumpy ride, that’s for sure.
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