Ajax defender Calvin Bassey has revealed the biggest difference he has noted between the Eredivisie club and Rangers. The Nigerian left Ibrox for the Johan Cruijff ArenA side in July.
Bassey only spent two years in Glasgow after joining the Premiership giants from Leicester City in 2020. But the 23-year-old enjoyed a stellar rise under Steven Gerrard and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. He also helped the Gers win the Scottish top-flight title in his debut term.
The Aosta, Italy-born enforcer’s efforts would ultimately attract an array of clubs to target his services last summer. But Ajax won the race for Bassey’s transfer after agreeing to pay Rangers £19.5m. Add-ons can take the fee to £23m and the Gers hold a 10% sell-on fee.
Rangers only had to pay Leicester £230k to sign Bassey to compensate for the centre-half’s development with the Foxes. Now, he is an eight-cap international after enjoying his debut for Nigeria in March 2022. An array of Premier League teams also explored a deal last year.
An agent from Unique Sports Group, which represents Bassey, told Own Goal Nigeria that Arsenal, Aston Villa and West Ham United were interested. But the Gunners did not make a bid after holding initial talks. While Ajax offered a better opportunity than Villa or the Irons.
Calvin Bassey opens up on the differences in training at Ajax and Rangers
Brighton & Hove Albion were also in the mix but The Telegraph noted their bid was worth less than Ajax’s. The Seagulls only indicated they would pay £15m for the 23-year-old, who has so far played 19 games with De Godenzonen across all competitions so far this season.
Bassey has also offered Ajax four assists and a goal since his transfer from Rangers. He hit one goal and six assists over 65 games with the Gers. Now, the Nigerian has revealed what the biggest difference he has felt in training is at the two clubs six months on from joining.
“I never thought Ajax would come in but when they did, it made the most sense,” he told The Telegraph. “Anyone in the world who follows football can tell you Ajax’s playing style.
“There are so many greats and when you look around the changing rooms, there are photos of when they made their debuts.
“Training is more tactical. More positioning, where you need to be defensively. But at the same time, the technical work is just in tighter areas.”
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