Selling Lisandro Martínez to Manchester United in the summer, Ajax Amsterdam needed someone who could play both centre-back and left-back, which is why they went for Calvin Bassey at Rangers, who are now managed by Michael Beale.
They paid the Ibrox side a hefty €23m for the defender, and there were high hopes he could fill the gap left by the Argentine’s departure following his form for Rangers.
That hasn’t been the case, however, as Bassey, despite playing quite a lot under Alfred Schreuder, hasn’t been able to find his feet in the Netherlands.
The aforementioned Schreuder has since been sacked and replaced by John Heitinga, who has steadied the ship somewhat, and done so without the former Rangers man.
Bassey has not started any of the last three league games, which Ajax have won 4-1, 5-0 and 3-1, and didn’t even feature in the middle of those three against SC Cambuur.
He did, however, play a whole half in the 3-1 win over RKC Waalwijk, where he picked up an assist, and earned some praise from Heitinga, who spoke to the press after the game.
Asked about the man Ajax paid €23m to Rangers for, he said, relayed by Soccer News: “Calvin is a top professional. He comes from Glasgow and knows a different way of playing. In the Netherlands, a lot is demanded on the ball and you play with a lot of space behind you.
“He can defend. We have to help him and make sure he has plenty of opportunities, but we know how long the rest of the season is. We are going to need him.”
