Giovanni van Bronckhorst believes a return to the Premier League with Fulham may be the right thing for his one-time Rangers starlet Calvin Bassey.
After a difficult year at Ajax, the former Leicester City youngster is now back in Britain, joining Marco Silva’s Fulham in a £19 million deal in July.
And Van Bronckhorst, who made Calvin Bassey one of the first names on his Rangers team sheet during that stirring run to the UEFA Europa League final in 2022, hopes to see the Italy-born Nigeria international rediscover the form that made him one of the continent’s most exciting young defenders just over 12 months ago.
Former Rangers ace Calvin Bassey joins Fulham
“When I came to Rangers, he was not a starter,” Van Bronckhorst, who was replaced by Mick Beale at Ibrox in November, tells ViaPlay.
“I gave him the chance and he became a force. He is a strong boy; fast and eager to learn. He went through a stormy development and there was a lot of interest, but he chose Ajax.”
A decision which, in hindsight, aged like milk in the midday sun. Ajax’s possession-based gameplan only served to highlight Bassey’s lack of star quality with the ball at his feet; his rangy frame and his rather nervous passing leading to some ‘Bambi on ice’ jibes.
“Expectations were high, but it was a difficult year for Ajax,” Van Bronckhorst adds; the departures of Erik ten Hag and Marc Overmars preceeding the ascent of Feyenoord.
“That also made it harder for Calvin. He didn’t show enough of his strengths and also had to improve other things, such as (his quality in) the build-up. That was already a point (he had to improve) when he played under me.
“At Fulham, he can now play more in his strength.”
A centre-half or a left-back, Bassey looks far better suited to life at a Fulham side who will defend deeper and break faster than Ajax.
