Calvin Bassey insists he wants to keep improving at Fulham – and is preparing to help the Whites improve on last season’s showing.

The Nigerian centre back, who was voted the club’s player of the year for 2024/2025 by the Fulham fans, told BBC London Sport that he was delighted with his performances last term but believes there is much more to come. In a revealing interview with Emma Jones, Bassey gave an insight into how supported he feels by Marco Silva and his team-mates at Craven Cottage:

“It’s hard work and focus and everything I’ve been doing in the dark has come to light. I’m just so happy. It’s just a start. I want more and I want to keep improving and keep helping the team in whatever way I can. Obviously, having that trust from the manager is also very important because I’ve had my fair share of what might not have been my best games, but to have the manager trust me is massive. My team-mates also believe in me and back me, so it’s a nice feeling. It is amazing.

I always feel like it is a team sport so there are eleven of us and the best way for us to make sure we come together as a team is that we give the best version of ourselves. So, I try and look myself in the mirror and say, ‘Have I been able to give my best?’ Maybe my defending wasn’t good, maybe my passing wasn’t good but I know my commitment was there and I gave everything I could on that day and everything I had in the tank. That’s what I always look at and I always make sure that I’m putting myself in the best shape possible for the team. Thank God, he was able to help me show that this season and hopefully he can show it for many more seasons.”

Bassey also reaffirmed his commitment to the Cottagers – saying his only focus was preparing for pre-season with the Whites.

“My agent usually deals with speculation. I don’t anything about these things. My focus has always been on Fulham. I know I’m at Fulham and I’m giving one hundred per cent for Fulham. I’m preparing to go back and make sure that we have a better season than last season. We’ve got a team where there’s a lot of quality and the manager trusting me, so those are my main focuses. Of course, you sometimes see things here and there, but that’s not for me to worry about – that’s why we have these guys that I employ that are good at this. For me, it is just about focusing on my football, making sure I’m in the best shape to go back to pre-season with Fulham. I’m happy.”