Arsenal narrowly missed out on Calvin Bassey - Agent

Agent of Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has revealed how close English Premier League club Arsenal came to signing the defender during the summer transfer window.

Bassey was on the market during the summer transfer following his impressive performance for Scottish giants Rangers during the 2021/22 season. 

The 22-year-old drew a lot of suitors with the likes of Aston Villa, West Ham United, Napoli, and Bayern Munich said to be interested before he finally joined Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam.

However, one club that firmed up their interest in the Super Eagles star was Arsenal, who were in the market for a left-footed defender during the transfer window.

According to Bassey's agent, the Mikel Arteta-led side contacted Bassey's camp to register their interest in the Nigeria international but failed to continue negotiations with Rangers at the time. 

Bassey's agent told Own Goal Nigeria as reported by Glasgow Times: "Arsenal contacted us and we made it known to Rangers, but they didn't follow up on the discussion."

Also, Bassey's agent confirmed that Premier League clubs Aston Villa and West Ham were also interested but the Super Eagles defender signed for Ajax because they gave him the guarantee of playing. 

"We also had interest from Aston Villa and West Ham but in the end Ajax had the best offer," the agent continued.

"Not in terms of money but for his development. They promised regular game time."

Bassey signed a five-year contract with Ajax after the Dutch giants paid €23m for the signature of the Nigeria international.