Agent reveals West Ham United held an interest in Calvin Bassey this summer
West Ham United had an interest in signing Calvin Bassey from Rangers this summer before the defender subsequently joined Ajax.
Bassey shined for Rangers in their stunning Europa League campaign and gained attraction from all over Europe for his solid outings.
The Nigerian’s agent claims that West Ham had an “interest” in the defender alongside Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Arsenal, but Ajax had the best offer.
“Arsenal contacted us and we made it known to Rangers, but they didn’t follow up on the discussion,” said the agent as quoted by the Glasgow Times.
“We also had interest from Aston Villa and West Ham but in the end, Ajax had the best offer.
“Not in terms of money but for his development. They promised regular game time.”
Interesting.
Bassey is definitely the type of talent who could have thrived at West Ham United but it’s hard to translate Scottish Premiership form to one of Europe’s top five leagues.
This has been highlighted in the defender’s tricky start to life in Holland, nevertheless, he has now become a regular in Ajax’s first XI.
Bassey received much criticism for Ajax’s back-to-back defeats at the hands of Napoli in the UEFA Champions League and the Hammers may have done well to miss out on this one.
Leicester also got rid of Bassey in 2020, potentially highlighting that he isn’t at the level needed to play week in, and week out for a Premier League club.
Bassey was brought in to replace Lisandro Martinez at Ajax who moved to Manchester United this summer and has done little to impress the Dutch fans with his abilities.
The high price Rangers were asking for Bassey is ultimately what would have put West Ham off this one and it’s a move Hammers should be thankful for that didn’t transpire.