Chelsea Scout Piet de Visser Urges Club to Re-Sign Nathan Ake from Bournemouth

Chelsea scout Piet de Visser has encouraged the west London club to re-sign Nathan Ake from Bournemouth, saying the centre-back shares a history with manager Frank Lampard.

Ake, 24, joined Bournemouth for £20 million in July 2017 and has since grown his reputation in the Premier League as well as becoming a regular in the Netherlands national team setup.

De Visser told Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant (h/t Sky Sports News) on Tuesday: "Ake should have played for Chelsea by now. He's so good. How often does he not score with his head? He has timing and insight. I hope they buy him back. That boy is perfect for them and he has played with Lampard."

Ake was 16 when he joined Chelsea's academy from Feyenoord in 2011 and made his senior Blues debut in December 2012. He showed great promise but became one of numerous Chelsea players at the time caught in a cycle of loans, spending time with Reading, Watford and eventually Bournemouth.

He moved to the south coast on a season-long loan in June 2016 but was recalled by Chelsea in January 2017 following a spurt of injuries. However, Ake joined the Cherries on permanent terms at the end of that season with first-team football at Stamford Bridge looking unlikely.

Alan Smith of Football.London cited the same interview, in which De Visser—who was once a private scout for Blues owner Roman Abramovich—added Ake is "crazy about Chelsea."

The Dutchman, who was in Chelsea's squad for two years before Lampard left in 2014, has scored one goal this season, in a 3-1 win over Southampton:

De Visser appeared to compliment Ake's ball-playing ability for a centre-back, although his physical traits allow him to thrive in the more typical scoring chances for his position, per Sky Sports Statto:

It would almost certainly cost Chelsea a vast sum more than they received for Ake to purchase the player back. Ake's performances mean Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe likely values the defender highly, and his contract at the Vitality Stadium doesn't expire until June 2022.

Ake has the highest pass completion of any Bournemouth player this season at 86.6 percent, per WhoScored.com, which befits a Chelsea side boasting the third-highest pass rate in the Premier League (83.4 percent).

The defender grew up in the same Chelsea academy team that produced Andreas Christensen, who has grown into his first-team duties under Lampard, along with fellow centre-backs Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma.

Each of that trio have made three Premier League appearances this season, while Antonio Rudiger has been limited to a single top-flight outing following injury.

Sports writer Mark Worrall never thought Ake should have been sold, though the player's own desire to pursue first-team football was (and is) a big factor:

Tomori's recent breakthrough has intensified the competition at the Bridge, meaning the club may not feel as strong an urge to recruit in central defence in 2020, even after they were prevented from making any new signings this past summer because of a transfer embargo.