Confession from Fenerbahçe's new signing Nathan Ake! 'During the transfer process...'

Fenerbahçe continues its preparations for the new season in Austria, and one of the new signings, Dutch footballer Nathan Ake, made statements to the club's television channel.

Speaking about how he was welcomed by the team, Ake said, "I am happy and very excited. My first few days are going very well. I have been welcomed very well by everyone here. They asked about my family and talked about life in Istanbul. I also had a conversation with our coach. He asked about my current situation and talked about his plans. We will talk more about it in the coming time. I hope we have a good season together, and I am looking forward to it," he said.

"I SPOKE WITH EDERSON DURING THE TRANSFER PROCESS"

Stating that Fenerbahçe had shown interest in him before, the Dutch footballer said, "The transfer process developed very quickly. I was very interested in the offer from here. I spoke with Ederson immediately, and he told me this is a great club. He also mentioned that our stadium has a very good atmosphere and that our fans are wonderful. Hearing this excited me as well. Afterwards, we quickly completed the transfer processes with Manchester City. It was an easy decision for me to come here," he stated.

"I WILL BE FULLY READY AFTER A FEW TRAINING SESSIONS"

Discussing his physical and mental preparation process, the 31-year-old footballer said, "I had 8 days of leave after my last match. I tried to relax during that period. After long seasons, you need to relax, especially mentally. I think I will be in good physical condition after a few training sessions. I don't think it will take long for me to be ready because, as I mentioned, not much time has passed since my last match. I will be fully ready in a few days," he expressed.

"COMMUNICATION IS VERY IMPORTANT IN THE DEFENSIVE LINE"

Speaking about his football philosophy and making observations, the experienced footballer said the following:

"It is difficult for me to talk about myself, but I can say that I am always a highly concentrated defender. Of course, my first job is to defend and help organize the defensive line. I also try to be smart with the ball. The most important thing I try to do defensively is to read the game. Being able to predict when to make a move and when not to, and reading the game are my strengths. Communication is very important in the defensive line. You need to have a very good relationship on the pitch in defense. This applies to all players, but it is especially important for the defensive line. The more you play together, the more you know each other, the better your communication becomes. Sometimes there is no time to communicate on the pitch, so if you know how the player next to you plays, you react accordingly. The more you know your teammates on the pitch, the easier things become for you. This communication will increase over time as we play."

"MY TEAMMATES ARE ALREADY PREPARING ME FOR OUR FIRST HOME MATCH"

Stating that his teammates are preparing him for their first home match, Nathan Ake assessed, "All my teammates talk about how full our stadium is and how passionate our fans are. I also saw some clips on social media. I am very excited. I am looking forward to experiencing this live. I received a lot of 'Welcome' messages on social media, especially after my transfer. Seeing these messages made me feel at home. So, thank you very much for that," he said.

"OUR FIRST GOAL IS TO QUALIFY FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE"

Expressing that he sees the new season as a great challenge, Ake said, "I know that our team has not been champion for many years, and at the same time, we have not been in the Champions League for a long time. Our first goal is to qualify for the Champions League, and we will do our best for that. Afterwards, we will compete on 4 fronts, and Fenerbahçe fights to win in every competition it participates in.

We will also do our best. We will take it match by match. Our priority is the qualifying matches. Afterwards, we hope to make a good start to the league and continue that way. I thank our fans very much for their support. Let them continue to be behind us. We will always give our best. I hope we will have a great season together, and we will fight for it," he concluded.

News Source: İHA