The agent of Calvin Bassey has confirmed that the Nigerian international was approached by the likes of West Ham, Aston Villa and Arsenal in the summer.

Ajax were the team who eventually won the race for the Rangers defender’s signature, paying £20m for the player, and speaking to Own Goal Nigeria, his representative explained that the Dutch champions’ offer of regular football was the main reason for him rejecting a Premier League switch:

“Arsenal contacted us and we made it known to Rangers, but they didn’t follow up on the discussion. We also had interest from Aston Villa and West Ham but in the end Ajax had the best offer. Not in terms of money but for his development. They promised regular game time.”

Fair play to Bassey for deciding to prioritise first-team opportunities over money but things haven’t exactly gone smoothly for him in the Netherlands. A number of pundits have criticised his early performances for Ajax, with the Eredivise side having conceded TEN goals in two Champions League games against Napoli.

Perhaps it is just as well the Hammers missed out on him. If he is struggling in Dutch football, he may have had even more trouble adapting to the English top flight.