Calvin Bassey had a subpar stint at Ajax Amsterdam following his move away from Glasgow Rangers during the 2022 Summer transfer window
Super Eagles defender, Calvin Bassey, has finally explained why his move to Ajax was not a successful one, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian international had a subpar stint at the Eredivisie League, which saw him at the centre stage of criticism, thus, sparking an immediate move away from Amsterdam to England.
According to Bassey, in his conversation with the Athletic, Ajax did not give him enough time to adapt to the new environment but wanted him to start showing his worth almost immediately.
The Super Eagles center-back joined Ajax after an impressive performance with Glasgow Rangers for a few in the region of €23 million, who, to him, felt like he had to prove a point.
“I had become a £20 million-plus player, so I felt like I was trying to prove a point, but to who? At the start, we were flying, but we almost started too well,” Said the Nigerian defender.
Bassey had 35 appearances for the Dutch side, scoring a goal and making an assist in his time in the Netherlands.
To Bassey, the Scottish league was not as good as the Eredivisie, and he could not speak Dutch, which gave him a tough time adapting to things in the club.
He added: “I didn’t have the chance to fail a bit, then get better. I had come for a lot of money and wasn’t the finished product so it was easy to pick on me. I wasn’t Dutch and came from a league not as good technically. I was the one to get picked on and they didn’t give me the time to adapt, which even Edwin van der Sar (then sporting director) said.
“It was so different. Rarely do you get a centre-back running into the No 6 position in the Premier League, it’s just not done. Because Ajax always had the ball, you don’t get punished as much. It is not easy to adjust to.”
When the opportunity came for Bassey to move away from the club, he took it, which sparked his move from Ajax back to the Premier League for a fee in the region of €22.5 million, seeing it as the best time for him to move.
“I moved to Fulham at the right time. I can build under a manager (Marco Silva) who wants to play football,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Bassey is having a good time with the Cottagers, starting just 3 Premier League matches from the bench and the rest playing full time
