In a recent interview with OwnGoalNigeria.com (via Tuttomercatoweb), Ajax defender Calvin Bassey’s agent revealed that Aston Villa wanted to land his client last summer. He said,
“Arsenal contacted us and we let Rangers know, but they did not follow up.
“We also had interest from Aston Villa and West Ham, but in the end, Ajax presented the best offer not in terms of money, but for his development as they promised regular employment.”
Bassey’s Impressive Numbers At The Johan Cruyff Arena
The 22-year-old is having a decent campaign in Dutch football as he has been responsible for producing a run of solid displays at the centre of Ajax’s backline. Bassey has registered one goal and four assists in 14 matches for his current employers this season across all fronts.
The talented centre-back has proven his worth as a reliable performer by averaging 2.1 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 2.0 clearances per 90 minutes in the Dutch Eredivisie. He has even been quite accurate with his ball distribution from the back, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 92% in the top tier of Dutch football (stats via whoscored).
Should Aston Villa Go Back In For Bassey Next Year?
Bassey is a solid tackler of the ball and can sense the danger quickly to earn the ball back for his team on the defensive end of the field. He usually doesn’t hesitate to put his foot through the ball when needed. The Nigerian defensive ace can use his strong 1.85m frame to dominate the opposition attackers in the air and is a good passer of the ball when playing his way out from the back.
Hence, it makes sense for Aston Villa to go back and make another attempt to recruit Bassey especially if continues to play his best for Ajax this season.
We can expect Bassey to add more quality to the Villans‘ backline. At 22, the Nigerian talent has still got a lot of room to grow as a footballer which makes him a perfect choice for the West Midlands club in January or at the end of this campaign.
Thus, it is logical for Aston Villa to go all out to bring the Ajax central defender to Villa Park next year as long as they can land him for a fair transfer fee. However, only time will tell whether he can cope with the physical nature and high intensity of Premier League football.
