Marco Silva believes Calvin Bassey ‘ticks all the boxes’ to become a top class centre back after becoming an integral part of Fulham’s push for European football.
The Nigerian international has been one of the first names on Silva’s team sheet since displacing Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo in the Fulham defence following his £18.2m move to Craven Cottage from Ajax in July 2023. The 25 year-old, who starred as Rangers reached the Europa League final in 2022, struggled in Amsterdam but has taken his game to new heights in SW6.
Silva told the press ahead of this afternoon’s local derby against Chelsea:
He’s been very very good for us. I think he’s been exceptional. When we signed him, he had not his best season [at Ajax] in his debut in the Champions’ League. We convinced him to come back to England, it wasn’t an easy decision for him. He’s happy .[here]. n my opinion, he ticks all the boxes to be a very, very good centre back in modern football. He has many good things to play at the highest level. He knows what I expect and demand from him.”
