“Can we just talk about Calvin Bassey for a second?”
Jason Cundy asked a question that almost everyone up and down the country posed after the Rangers defender’s magnificent performance in Seville – which also earned praise from legend Ally McCoist.
And you can bet your bottom dollar that nobody was going to stop Cundy and Jamie O’Hara waxing lyrical about the talented 22-year-old.
“He looked sensational tonight, absolutely sensational. I thought he was the best player on the pitch,” talkSPORT host Cundy said on The Sports Bar.
“He was immense, 22 years of age. He is destined for big things, this kid – he was absolutely superb tonight.”
O’Hara even went as far as comparing him to one of the best centre-backs in world football, adding: “What a player, he was like [Virgil] Van Dijk!”
That’s big praise but, you have to say, it’s accurate.
Whilst he’s not quite as tall as Van Dijk, Bassey possesses a lot of the same attributes as Liverpool’s defensive rock.
Quick, strong, and comfortable on the ball, the Rangers man has everything you’d want from a modern-day centre-back.
This rapid rise to the top has drawn the attention of many Premier League clubs, but it is Ajax who lead the queue.
talkSPORT sources understand that the Champions League side see Bassey as a potential replacement for Lisandro Martinez, who is on the verge of a move to Manchester United.
The Gers are said to want £25m for the Nigerian international, which the Dutch side are willing to pay.
His former boss Steven Gerrard signed him from Leicester in 2020 and labelled him as a full-back when talking about his new addition for the first time, while handing him the No.3 shirt at Ibrox.
Even last season, he has shown his versatility under Gerrard’s successor, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, by playing in both positions but, after his performance against Frankfurt, there should be only one he plays from now.
He showed his mental toughness as well as his physical strength in extra-time, when his two incredible recovery runs prevented the German side from taking the lead.
But, unfortunately for Gareth Southgate, Bassey has pledged his allegiance to the Nigerian national team and has already made two senior caps for the Super Eagles.
That’s despite him being born in Italy, which is where he grew up before moving to England and joining Leicester at 15.
The fact that Rangers signed him for absolutely nothing from the Foxes now represents a phenomenal piece of business – and reason for major regret from the Foxes camp.
So that explains why the Glasgow-based side are looking for so much money – and Rangers legend McCoist says he could ‘walk’ into any team.
“What about that performance, he was absolutely frightening,” the Ibrox favourite said on Thursday’s talkSPORT Breakfast.
“He’s walking in anywhere on that performance.”
Some will say he could have done better for the Frankfurt equaliser, but, at 22, you can’t expect him to be the finished article.
And if he wants the Van Dijk comparisons to continue, a move from Scotland to the Champions League would help, which might just lead to Virgil-like superstar status.
Offers Of The Day
888sport – Get 100% Bonus up to £100* – CLAIM HERE
£/$/€10 min deposit using promo code “TOP100” • The bonus will be applied once the full deposit amount has been wagered at least twice with cumulative odds of 1.50 or greater • To withdraw any winnings from your bonus, you must wager the bonus amount up to 5 times • All deposit and bonus wagering requirements must be completed within 60 days • This offer may not be combined with any other offer • Wagering limit of £/$/€50 per bet Applies • Restrictions apply to withdrawals, payment methods and countries & full T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
SEE MORE FREE BET OFFERS HERE
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘752905198150451’);
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
Contact Us For Promotions, Biography Submission, Edit Or Takedown Of An Article.