MX23RW : Monday, November 25 00:45:26| >> :120:29745:29745:

Eddie Howe heaps praise on defender Nathan Ake amid transfer talk

Eddie Howe heaps praise on defender Nathan Ake amid transfer talk
© Reuters
The Holland international has been linked with a return to Chelsea.

Eddie Howe says Bournemouth have "had no contact from any other club" as he dismissed rumours of a potential departure for key defender Nathan Ake.

Centre-back Ake, who cost £20million from Chelsea in 2017, has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge before Thursday's transfer deadline.

But, ahead of Wednesday's Premier League clash with Maurizio Sarri's Blues, Cherries manager Howe insists he has no concerns about the future of the Holland international.

"We love working with him, we think he's got outstanding attributes, he's getting better and better in his position," Howe said of Ake.

"The speculation, as it has been all January, has been purely that – as with all our players.

"We've had not contact from any other club so it's business as usual."

Bournemouth bought central defender Chris Mepham for £12million from Brentford last week, helping to fuel talk of an impending move for Ake.

Wales international Mepham became the third January arrival at the Vitality Stadium after the Cherries signed England internationals Nathaniel Clyne and Dominic Solanke from Liverpool.

Howe, who has been linked with a late move for out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater, did not rule out strengthening his squad further before the window closes, while he revealed defender Tyrone Mings could leave on loan.

"We hope the majority of our business is done, if not all of it," added Howe.

"We are very pleased with the business we have done this window, but there's one game to go so you can never say with any certainty what's going to happen.

"I have learnt a long time ago never to give clear-cut answers in this situation because you can then have to act in the last few hours."

Speaking about a temporary switch for Mings, Howe added: "That's a possible. Tyrone has been dreadfully unlucky since he signed for the football club. He's such a talented lad, he's desperate to play so we'll wait and see."

Cherries top-scorer Callum Wilson, himself the subject of transfer speculation this month, went off injured after scoring in the win over West Ham on January 19.

The 11-goal striker faces a late fitness test for the visit of Chelsea due to a knee issue.

"Callum's going to be a doubt for the game," said Howe. "It's a knee problem, but we are going to wait and see. We are going to give him all the time he needs to try and get fit for this game."

Bournemouth had a change behind the scenes on Monday when Russian businessman Maxim Demin's company took full ownership of the club.

Demin's AFCB Enterprises Ltd acquired Chicago-based Peak6 Investments' 25 per cent stake in the Cherries.

Howe described the development as "very good news".

"I think for me, it just means the communication lines become slightly different. To have just one point of contact is helpful," said Howe.

"The club has been run superbly well for a long period of time, Max has been a massive, massive part of that.

"What he's done for the football club has been incredible, so to have him back as sole owner is very good news."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Ed Elliot, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '5993ace9-35bf-49a7-86b1-265c5091d327');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Eddie Howe heaps praise on defender Nathan Ake amid transfer talk'});

ID:348523: cacheID:348523:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5988:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Chris Mepham in action for Brentford on August 22, 2018
Read Next:
Bournemouth newcomer Mepham braced for tough introduction to Premier League
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!