Nathan Ake, who moved to newly promoted Watford on loan from Premier League champions Chelsea, has said Quique Flores’ management of youth players convinced him to join the promoted club.
Ake, who signed a five-year deal with Chelsea before joining Watford, was on loan at Championship side Reading last season and said he was eager to get a taste of first-team Premier League football.
Flores, who is well known to UAE football fans for his stints at Al Ahli and Al Ain, took over Watford in the summer and has guided the club to successive draws in their two opening league games.
“He’s a big manager and he has managed big clubs,” the 20-year-old told the club’s website.
“He told me he had young players when he was at other clubs, like Koke at Atletico Madrid, and he said age doesn’t matter to him, he’ll play you if you’re ready.
“I was really impressed with him, we had a good chat and he made me feel welcome straight away.
“I’m really excited because I’ve been waiting for this, to get on-loan and play a lot of games, and Watford have given me this opportunity.”
Ake, who is primarily a central defender, said his versatility can benefit his new side.
“I can play in midfield, left-back or centre-back. I’m a player who works really hard, a left-footed player who tries to play football on the ground,” Ake said.
“But I can also do the other side of the game like defending, and I just try to help the team really.”
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
SHAITTAN
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Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
