Fulham “received a present” from Ajax when they allowed them to sign Calvin Bassey for €22.5m this summer.
That’s according to journalist Süleyman Öztürk, who says there may be increasing regret at the Dutch giants that they allowed the defender to leave.
Bassey joined Fulham in the summer transfer window after a miserable year at Ajax following a move from Rangers in July 2022.
He had arrived at the Dutch club with a growing reputation following his time at Ibrox, where he had been a key player, particularly in their run to the Europa League final.
Ajax had signed him as the successor to Lisandro Martinez following his move to Manchester United, but he was unable to live up to the Argentine, struggling to impress while playing at centre-back and left-back.
His time at the club was not a happy one and thus Ajax were happy to sell him in the summer, even taking a small loss on the €23m they had paid to sign him from Rangers.
He’s quickly been getting back on his feet at Fulham, though, overcoming initial early struggles to now impress for Marco Silva’s side.
That’s not gone unnoticed in the Netherlands, where Öztürk insists that there is a growing sense of disappointment about the transfer.
“You see images of him against Feyenoord and Ajax that weren’t tactically good and Bassey is a victim of the choices of a trainer,” he said.
“Now at Fulham with Tosin Adarabioyo alongside him he can play football. You see a 23-year-old who wants to get better.
“He’s been sold to Fulham for €23m and people laughed about it in the Netherlands and said ‘how on earth did they manage to sell that clown for €23m to Fulham’ but Fulham received a present for that price. That’s now the feeling in the stands.
“He made mistakes against Tottenham last month I know, and he will make mistakes under pressure, but I think he still has an incredible growth margin. He was laughed at here but he’s an excellent defender with a margin to grow.
“I think he is now at his place. It’s nice to see. You have to be careful how you go about assessing players individually. Calvin Bassey is still young, has developed and has qualities that suit the English standards and Fulham’s standards.”
