Interview with City's Nathan Ake on his contract extension

NicheSportMedia

Manchester City defender Nathan Ake speaks on his new contract extension which will see him stay at the club until 2027

Transcript

00:00 Nathan, congratulations on your new deal.

00:02 Just sum up for us how this feels and what it means to you and your family.

00:07 Yeah, it feels amazing.

00:09 You know, the first moment I came here, I really enjoyed the club.

00:14 It felt really good.

00:16 So, yeah, to be able to extend a few more years is a proud moment for me,

00:21 my family and all the moments where I've worked hard for.

00:25 What made this the right decision for you to stay for longer?

00:30 I think, to be honest, it was an easy decision.

00:33 I'm so happy here.

00:36 I think especially the last couple of years for me personally have been very good,

00:40 very progressing.

00:42 Working with this manager, the people above it, the backroom staff,

00:48 everyone is such high quality and so nice.

00:51 I just enjoy every day to be here and then to be able to renew your contract

00:56 and to stay even longer I think is a no-brainer.

00:59 You're coming off your best season for City,

01:01 you played predominantly at left-back,

01:03 but obviously you played most of your career at centre-back.

01:06 As we sit here today, what would you say is your principal, primary position?

01:11 Yeah, I think from today I can probably say left-back.

01:18 But, as I said in different interviews, it's a bit of both roles.

01:23 You're building up a little bit as a centre-back,

01:26 but then also have the licence to go forward,

01:28 and defensively most of the time as a left-back.

01:31 So I think it's a perfect position for me,

01:34 also because when I was younger I used to play left-back a few times.

01:39 I like it, I enjoy it, I've grown into it over the season, I think last season,

01:44 and now I understand it much better and better,

01:46 I think there's still room for improvements,

01:49 and I'm working on that, so there's so much more to come.

01:52 You've got a really good relationship with the City fans,

01:55 you finished third in the Etihad Player of the Season vote this year.

01:58 Do you feel that love and connection with the fans,

02:02 and how does that help you when you're out there on the pitch?

02:05 Yeah, you feel that, first of all, as you said,

02:08 to be voted third is crazy with the amount of top, top players we have in the squad,

02:14 and what kind of season everyone had last year,

02:16 so I really appreciate that from the fans.

02:20 As you said, I think I feel it, the message I get when I walk on the street,

02:24 the people who come up to you and say nice things,

02:27 I have good conversations with the people.

02:30 Many times you hear people say they've been lifelong fans,

02:34 and then being around this period, winning the trophies,

02:40 that's nice things to hear from fans.

02:43 I just feel the connection in that way,

02:46 and that helps certainly on the pitch when you go into the Etihad,

02:51 I think the whole season they've supported us so well,

02:54 and I think as you can see it helps on the pitch for everyone.

02:57 You mentioned there the depth of quality we've got in the squad,

03:03 the competition for places is really high,

03:05 but last season you were trusted, Pep played you a lot,

03:09 why do you think that is, what do you think he sees in you that makes him trust you so much?

03:14 I don't know, I think everyone here needs to fight for their spot,

03:20 I had to do the same, and last year it became a moment

03:24 where I was playing a few games in a row, it was going well,

03:28 I think maybe I saw the progression,

03:31 and at one point it was just fitting in, everything went well,

03:35 I felt myself grow in every game,

03:39 and with that the manager gave me trust,

03:42 and I think that boosted my confidence even more,

03:44 and from there on it just went upwards.

03:47 The only thing I can do is keep working hard,

03:52 keep trying to implement the things he wants for me as a player, as a person,

03:56 and then you're going to have competition every day,

03:59 but then it's up to you how you deal with that,

04:03 and how you're going to improve and help the manager and the team to win things.

04:07 Pep is seen as the best coach in the world, maybe the best of all time,

04:11 what have you learned from him since you've been here over the course of these three years?

04:15 Everything, really.

04:18 I think you see football from a different perspective,

04:22 the way he explains things on the board, with videos,

04:27 the way he sees football, that's grown so much on me,

04:32 and I think that's why the first season took a little bit of time,

04:36 also with injuries and stuff, maybe to adapt to that, to learn to that,

04:41 but I think once you've got it, you've got it, because he explains it so well,

04:45 he's so clear, and just the tactical things he sees when he explains it,

04:52 and actually coming out in the games as well,

04:54 it gives you an extra few seconds in the game knowing what the movement is going to be,

04:59 where my teammates are going to be, because we've trained that,

05:02 and he's shown where the spaces are.

05:05 I don't have to say much more about him, he's won everything he can,

05:12 he's built this team to be competitive every season,

05:16 and I hope we can continue that.

05:19 Quite a few players tend to improve after their first year with Pep

05:23 and start to play better football,

05:25 do you give that advice to new players who come into this squad,

05:28 to say, 'Look, if you struggle a little bit at first, give it time,

05:31 and eventually you're going to improve a lot'?

05:34 Yeah, if maybe people are having a little bit more of a difficult season,

05:40 then I tend to speak to them,

05:43 trying to say that loads of people from my team have been there,

05:48 I've been there myself, where it seems very tough at that moment,

05:52 you come into a new team, you want to do really well straight away,

05:56 but then maybe setbacks with injuries, or playing time, or all kinds of stuff,

06:02 might hinder the first season,

06:06 and I think when you start to say that to people who have just come,

06:12 maybe that gives them a little bit more breathing space,

06:16 a bit more time and confidence that the season after might be going really well.

06:21 We can't sit down and talk and not discuss the treble,

06:24 it's nice to reflect on that a little bit,

06:26 now that there's been some time since it was completed in Istanbul,

06:30 are you aware of the magnitude of it, and has it sunk in properly?

06:35 Sometimes, yes, sometimes no, it's difficult.

06:39 Sometimes I'm trying to look back at videos,

06:42 because I think you can say the same, it just went all so quick,

06:45 that day, that week, it just flies over,

06:49 and then suddenly we're an international team,

06:51 and suddenly there's holidays, and you don't see each other for a while.

06:56 But yeah, I always try to look back at pictures and see what we have done,

07:00 because it's not just every season you do something like this.

07:03 But yeah, 100 per cent my best season,

07:07 my most memorable season for the club, for myself,

07:11 and it's something I want to relive again, for sure.

07:15 When you came to City, did you expect it to be as positive and as satisfying

07:20 as it has been for you since you came here?

07:22 That's always what you hope for, I think.

07:24 If you come to a new club, you always want it to be like it's going now.

07:29 But as I said before, with the setback in the first season,

07:32 it becomes tough, where you're trying to see the positive,

07:35 and you're trying to see where it's going to end,

07:37 but I think the second season it went already better,

07:41 the third season it went much, much better,

07:45 so I'm actually where I want to be right now.

07:50 I'm super satisfied, I'm super happy,

07:52 and I know there's still much more to come.

07:55 You've committed now until 2027,

07:58 how much do you think you can improve from this point onwards?

08:01 I think still loads.

08:04 I think first of all, as now I'm playing in a bit of a different position,

08:10 maybe I can bring a little bit more forward as well.

08:13 I know my main objective is defending and trying to keep clean sheets and stuff,

08:19 but I think that's where we can make a little bit of improvements

08:23 to see when is the moment when you can actually go forward,

08:26 and when is the moment where, like normal,

08:29 you have to be a bit more defensively and a bit more secure

08:32 to let the rest of the team do their stuff.

08:35 I think there can be improvements made on that.

08:38 There's always little things also with the team,

08:43 maybe the way we're playing, where does he want me to be exactly,

08:49 all little things tactically we can implement,

08:52 and I think it can only grow over the years for sure.

08:55 And finally, having won the treble, how does this squad ensure that our level doesn't dip

09:00 and that we continue to win and challenge for trophies?

09:04 I think it's not too difficult,

09:09 because everyone's got the mentality of going again, going again, going again.

09:13 Last season is last season, it was a great season,

09:16 but this is a new season, everyone wants to challenge for titles,

09:21 all the other teams have improved a lot and they want to take the titles off us.

09:27 So I think naturally, in everyone there comes an instinct and mentality

09:33 of 'OK, we're going to do it again, we want to do it again,

09:36 and we're going to fight for that and not just give the titles away like that.'

09:40 So I'm sure everyone is feeling the same,

09:43 and I think the last few games already and pre-season we've been working hard,

09:48 and I think people have shown already that we're still ready to run

09:52 and still ready to give everything to bring success to this team.

09:56 Nathan, congratulations on your new deal, everyone is delighted,

09:59 and good luck for the new season.

10:00 Cheers, thank you very much.

10:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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