Every player has his price. And Rangers fans have found that out to their cost in the case of Calvin Bassey. There was talk last week about potential interest from Ajax and Premier League clubs in Bassey.
Now it looks as if the Dutch giants have won the race to sign the big defender, with reports last night claiming a deal has been agreed between the clubs. If it’s a move that interests Calvin it looks like he will be on his way to Amsterdam. For Rangers it was a case of getting the right money. I said before it had to be around the £20million mark and it looks like the deal will exceed that.
If you’re getting that kind of fee for a guy you effectively signed on a free, it’s difficult to turn down. I get the impression that Rangers are in a position where they don’t NEED to sell. That might have allowed them to haggle high with the likes of Ajax.
If an offer came in, even for £20m, they could have asked for £25m. And it looks like they’ve eventually met in the middle. Rangers could be bold and hold strong – because if the move doesn’t happen I genuinely don’t think it would affect the boy.
Bassey looks as if he loves being at Rangers. If the move collapses I think he’d be more than happy to stay at Ibrox. But a move was almost inevitable after his displays last season, especially in the Europa League Final. With Lisandro Martinez on his way to Manchester United from Ajax for £46m, the Dutch side have money to spend on a replacement.
But if Bassey does go, Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have to splash the cash himself on buying in a new centre-back. In fact, with question marks over the fitness of Filip Helander and John Souttar, he needed to do that anyway. Since Leon Balogun was allowed to leave, I’ve always said they need another central defender in the building.
Whether we like it or not, the guys who are next in line – Helander and Souttar – are prone to injury. Their record is there for everyone to see. So if Bassey isn’t there, who plays next to Connor Goldson in the Premiership opener against Livingston and Champions League qualifier a few days later? I expect Souttar to be OK but is he fully fit right now?
If he’s missed part of pre-season training, where is he going to be at the start of the campaign? Will he be right to throw into a massive European game, with so much on the line? People might say that by signing another defender it’s blocking the pathway for young Leon King.
And I agree that if he’s not good enough to be third or fourth choice this season, what’s the point in the kid being there? But we don’t know if he’s ready yet to be a Rangers centre-back. It’s fine playing the odd game at the end of the season or coming in against Stirling Albion in a cup tie at Ibrox.
But can King be relied on to play from the start when you’re trying to win a title and get into the Champions League? That kind of pressure is unfair on the lad who still has to prove that he’s good enough. Of course, Gio knows he can shift John Lundstram back into defence temporarily as he did at times last season. But going forward, that’s not an ideal situation.
Without Lundstram, Rangers lose something in their midfield. So effectively, you’re weakening two areas of the team at the same time. No one wants that. Lundstram came into his own as Rangers’ first-choice central midfielder last season so it’s important he stays there. If Bassey was to move on now at least it would give Gers time to reinvest before the window closes on August 31.
They won’t want to lose him in the final few days of the window. Gio and Ross Wilson will have succession plans in place. But when it gets to that late stage it can become a scramble. Clubs will know Rangers are desperate for a replacement and prices can become skewed. If Bassey goes now they’ll have a target in mind and shouldn’t have to pay an inflated price.
But even then, with Champions League games just around the corner, the club is gambling. There are clearly issues with Helander and Souttar. They’ve got Niko Katic still there but the consensus is, just like last season, he’ll be surplus to requirements. There is so much at stake in these European ties which start on August 2. I’ve no doubt Rangers will still be looking to bring players in before then.
They’ve already signed potentially a brand new front-line in Tom Lawrence, Antonio Colak and Rabbi Matondo, with Malik Tillman also arriving on loan. But if Bassey is on his way, that centre-back position is one they’ll need to look at seriously.
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