The agent of former Rangers player Calvin Bassey has revealed that Arsenal showed a strong interest in his client, who eventually ended up at Dutch giants Ajax.
The defender’s name was talked about in the club’s hierarchy in the summer, but they decided against making a firm offer.
The report from Own Goal Nigeria stated that talks between the clubs were held, but they ended in the preliminary stage only.
“Arsenal contacted us and we made it known to Rangers but they didn’t follow up on the discussion,” Bassey’s agent told the Nigerian news outlet.
He continued, “We also had interest from Aston Villa and West Ham, but at the end Ajax has the best offer, not (just) in terms of money but for his development. As they promised him regular gametime.”
After the departure of center-back Pablo Mari to Italian side Monza, need for a central defender looked imperative.
However, the Gunners instead went onto sign Oleksandr Zinchenko from Man City, who predominantly plays as a left-back.
Signing Bassey would have made genuine sense. The Nigerian was an influential figure in the Rangers side that won the Scottish Championship in 2021 and reached the final of the Europa League in 2022.
The 22-year-old made 65 appearances for The Gers, before making a £20 million move to Ajax last summer. He has made 14 appearances for de Godenzonen this season, scoring once, assisting five and keeping five clean sheets.
After his move to the Netherlands, it now looks unlikely for Bassey to move to North London, be it in January or in the summer.
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Alas! We obviously missed our one and only chance to sign this new world superstar in the making and so had to make do with that ghastly no good Zinchenko, instead.
Now, wherever did I PUT THAT STRAITJACKET?!!