If Calvin Bassey had been granted the ability to script his 2024/25 season, it is unlikely he could have come up with better than what he actually got.
The Nigeria international has, in the space of two years at Fulham, matured into one of the finest centre-backs in the Premier League, with the last campaign in particular seeing him rival the likes of William Saliba and Virgil van Dijk in many defensive metrics. His worth came through beyond the numbers too, as Cottagers’ fans overwhelmingly voted him the club’s Player of the Season.
For a young defender who arrived in London seeking to rehabilitate his reputation following his disastrous stint in Amsterdam with Ajax, it has been quite the redemption story.
Calvin Bassey’s surprisingly young career
It is often easy to lose sight of this on account of him being 25, but Bassey’s senior career is actually a quite young one. Remarkably, he is only entering his sixth year as a pro, and has never spent more than two seasons at any club previously.
At Rangers, a superb sophomore campaign was capped by a run to the Europa League final, in which he produced an outstanding performance in Seville. That season was the impetus for the move to Ajax, where he only spent one year.
As such, 2025/26 will take him into uncharted territory, an unprecedented level of stability in a relatively young career.
Just hanging around, @CalvinBassey. 😅 pic.twitter.com/Y7joF22K9H
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 11, 2025
There is a school of thought that suggests he might have been better off seeking to move this summer, having proven his struggles in the Netherlands were a fluke. After all, 25 is a prime age for defenders; beyond that, and potential destinations begin to thin out. While that viewpoint has merit, there is a level of curiosity attached to the opposite: what if putting down roots elevates him even further?
What does 2025/26 hold for Calvin Bassey?
What would that look like? Well, on the basis of last season and the Community Shield last weekend, it is not difficult to see that Van Dijk is looking decidedly human. Is it inconceivable that, by the end of the campaign, Bassey is a consensus top 3 centre-back in the Premier League?
It might seem a lofty goal, but the Leicester City academy graduate is a combination of quite unique gifts, excelling at carrying and take-ons in a way few others in his position do. Fulham boss Marco Silva has shown a willingness to lean into this as well, allowing Bassey to get forward and provide wide overloads.
If Fulham continue to play to his strengths in 2025/26, his bag will only get bigger. There have been overlapping centre-backs, there have been dribbly centre-backs and there have been aggressor centre-backs. All three in one carefully tended package? To borrow a cliche, the sky could be the limit for Calvin Bassey.
