Calvin Bassey is officially the most expensive defender in Ajax’s club history, it was announced on Wednesday afternoon. The team from Amsterdam pay Rangers a fixed transfer fee of 23 million euros. An amount that can rise to 26.5 million euros through bonuses. In conversation with the General Newspaper explains technical manager Gerry Hamstra how the amount and the transfer came about.
Hamstra is very satisfied with the arrival of Bassey, who will be in Amsterdam until mid-2027. The only 22-year-old left leg has come to stand immediately. “We want to maintain the principle of preparing players behind basic players, as we have done with Antony and David Neres for example. If you lose too many players, you sometimes also have to get players that are a bit more expensive, but immediately give Ajax a quality injection. We do that with Steven Bergwijn, Owen Wijndal and Bassey.”
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The fact that the transfer record for an incoming defender had to be broken was no problem for Hamstra. “In the end you just look at potential. We got a player for more than we would normally pay because he had to be a Champions League worthy replacement. Only a boy that we see, because he came into professional football late, made big steps, and switched positions, that he makes steps very quickly.”
In addition to Ajax, Bassey had the choice of several Premier League clubs. For example, the Nigerian international was able to work at Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United and Nottingham Forest. Bassey thought a switch to the English top league was too early, says Hamstra. “He also received an offer from Brighton and only said: I want to go to Ajax. Same story: two or three years here in Amsterdam and then on to the top of the Premier League.”