Nigerian football player Calvin Bassey has left Dutch football club Ajax to join Premier League side Fulham Football Club. In a recent interview with FFC, Bassesy said 'I know how big of a club Fulham is.'
According to Fulham's website, "The Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Calvin Bassey from Ajax for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance, which is expected to be received during the early part of next week."
"The 23-year-old defender has agreed a contract until the summer of 2027, with a Club option to extend by a further 12 months. Bassey will wear the number three shirt this season."
Speaking to FFCtv in the United States, Bassey said: “I know how big of a club Fulham is. They always have quality players, they’re playing in the Premier League, the best league in the world, so I didn’t have to think much about it."
He added, “It’s a London club as well, so it’s always a plus to go home! I’m happy it’s all done now and I can just focus on the football and help the team build on last season when they did amazing.”
Tony Khan who is the owner of Fulham Football Club said, "I'm thrilled to welcome Calvin Bassey to Fulham Football Club. He's a young and versatile defender; a homegrown player who developed at Leicester City's academy before moving on to play for Rangers and then for Ajax, as well as Nigeria's national team."
Khan added, “Calvin's been a top target for us, so we're all delighted that he's committed for the long term with Fulham, and we're looking forward to watching him progress. Come on Fulham."
Born in Italy, Bassey moved to London at a young age, before getting a first taste of academy football at Leicester City.
A move to Rangers in the summer of 2020 saw his career really take off, as he enjoyed a highly prosperous two years in Glasgow.
Bassey’s first year saw Rangers win the Scottish Premiership by a remarkable 25 points a campaign in which they did not suffer a single league defeat and conceded just 13 goals. Their 26 clean sheets is a Scottish record.
Having operated mainly as left-back in his first season, Bassey split his time between there and centre-half in 2021/22, as Rangers embarked on another excellent season.
In addition to winning the Scottish Cup, the Gers made it all the way to the UEFA Europa League Final, where they were beaten on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt.
Despite the heartbreaking end to their European campaign, Bassey won many plaudits for his performance in the Final which finished 1-1 – as his pace and strength at the back made it difficult for Frankfurt to create many decent-quality chances.
Bassey’s performances on one of the biggest stages naturally caught the eye, with Ajax parting with an initial 23 million euros to bring him to Amsterdam, a club record sale for Rangers.
Primarily operating at centre-back during his time in the Netherlands, Bassey made 39 appearances for the club across all competitions – including sampling Champions League football for the first time – scoring once and laying on five assists.
A Nigeria international, Bassey made his debut for the Super Eagles in a World Cup Qualifier last year, and now has 10 caps to his name.
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