A.F.C Bournemouth are in heaps of danger having dropped into the relegation zone after a 4-0 defeat to fellow strugglers West Ham in their last Premier League outing. But further issues could be on the horizon as the Cherries are at risk of losing their most crucial defensive asset in January. Reports have emerged in The Sun that Chelsea are considering exercising the £40m buyback clause they had placed in Nathan Ake’s contract if they can offload Andreas Christiansen.
Eddie Howe will be spending the entire month worrying that the Cherries could lose their star man should a buyer be found for Christensen. Losing Ake would be catastrophic for the side who sit in 18th place in the Premier League table in their attempts to spend a sixth consecutive season in the English top-flight. The issue is that Howe’s side have scored just two goals in their past seven Premier League fixtures and without anyone finding the back of the net regularly they are reliant on keeping a tight defence to pick up any points.
Former Bournemouth Player of the Season Ake has made 16 starts this campaign keeping three clean sheets as the Cherries have struggled to keep other sides out. But his place in the starting eleven is all but guaranteed as only Chris Mepham has made more tackles and interceptions at centre back than the Dutch international. Furthermore, Ake is essential for Howe’s style of play building from the back, with the central defender having averaged the second-most passes of any Cherries player whilst boasting the highest pass completion rate. In essence, Ake is a critical cog in stopping the opposition scoring and starting moves for the Cherries.
The sum Chelsea would have to pay is a considerable fee for Bournemouth to receive. However, the fact Chelsea have a buy-back clause means they could trigger it at any moment. Howe is likely to be concerned that the Blues could wait right until the end of the window to push the move through and all the power is in Frank Lampard’s hands.
Should Bournemouth lose Ake, it would be an enormous blow to their chances of surviving in the Premier League. But if they fail to find a replacement for Ake, the Cherries will be as good as relegated.
