Nathan Ake signs new Manchester City contract: Decoding his stats
Dutch versatile defender Nathan Ake has signed a new contract with Manchester City, which will keep him at the club until 2027. Ake was crucial in City's treble triumph last season and therefore, he is rewarded with a substantial pay raise. The 28-year-old had joined City in 2020 on a five-year deal from Bournemouth for £40m. Here we decode his stats.
Why does this story matter?
"This is the best club in the world, I have no doubts about that. Being a Manchester City player makes me incredibly proud every single day," said Ake. Pep Guardiola has played a key role in helping Ake at City, who was on the verge of leaving last season. Ake praised Guardiola and said he is grateful to him for everything.
Ake's stats for Manchester City
Ake has grown in stature in his three years at City. The 28-year-old has made 81 appearances for the club while netting seven goals. Last season was at his best for City, making 41 appearances across competitions, besides scoring thrice. Ake has made 50 appearances for City in the Premier League, scoring four goals.
Breaking down Ake's Premier League 2022-23 season
The Netherlands international made 26 appearances in the Premier League last season, finding the net once. As per Opta, he completed 1,554 out of 1,705 passes (pass accuracy of 91.14%). He made 26 tackles and completed four take-ons. Ake won 36 aerial duels and 44 ground duels. He made 47 clearances, 20 interceptions, and 10 blocks. Meanwhile, he created nine chances.
A look at Ake's journey
Ake's footballing career started at VV Wilhelmus. Then he featured for youth teams of ADO Den Haag, Feyernoord and later Chelsea. He flourished in Chelsea's youth team and Rafa Benitez handed him his PL debut in 2012. Ake then went on loan to Reading and Watford, before moving to Bournemouth permanently in 2017. He spent three seasons with Cherries before joining City in 2020.
A look at his club career stats
Ake started his career with Chelsea, making 17 appearances in total. He made five appearances for Reading on loan in 2014-15 before moving to Watford on loan in 2015-16. He made 28 appearances for Watford, scoring once. In 2016-17, he joined Bournemouth on loan, making 12 appearances. After signing for the Cherries permanently, the next three seasons saw him make 109 appearances.
A look at Ake's trophy cabinet
Ake won the EFL Cup (2015) and Europa League (2012-13) honors with Chelsea, besides being a runner-up in the FA Cup (2016-17). With Manchester City, Ake has clinched the FA Cup (2022-23), three Premier League titles (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23), Champions League (2022-23) and EFL Cup (2020-21). He was also a runner-up in the UCL 2020-21 season.
Did you know?
As per OptaJohan, Ake registered the most touches (95) in the Champions League final last season, which City won beating Inter Milan. Notably, Ake became the first Dutchman to win the Champions League since Virgil van Dijk, Georgino Wijnaldum in 2019.
