Fulham: Calvin Bassey only knows the bench since after AFCON

Bassey replaced by Cuenca
Before his departure for the African Cup of Nations, Calvin Bassey played 16 matches in the Premier League including 15 as a starter, the last one on December 13 against Burnley. During his stay in Morocco, the Nigerian missed six games. During this period, Marco Silva found his replacement in Jorge Cucenca, the Spaniard who formed a new pair with Joachim Anderson in the transition of the Cottagers who will have lost only one match out of 6 (2 wins and 2 draws) in the absence of Bassey with 2 clean sheets at the end.

Since then, Calvin Bassey who returned from the AFCON with the bronze medal has been content with a replacement role. Where his compatriot Alex Iwobi immediately found his place in the eleven. Of the three matches played by Fulham since his return, Bassey will have only four short minutes against Manchester United (3-2 defeat), following from the bench the meetings against Brighton (2-1) and Everton (1-2) recently.

After this match, Marco Silva was questioned about the situation of Calvin Bassey and his remarks are far from reassuring for the Nigerian.

 “It’s a great thing for the team. I’m the first to acknowledge Calvin’s impact at the club, an outstanding central defender. He has enormous potential and can still progress. Cuenca was able to seize his chance and demonstrate his qualities. It’s a competition; Cuenca knows how much it has to deal with a professional,"

 he said at a press conference, as reported by Africa Soccer.

Towards an inevitable departure in summer?
This downgrade that Calvin Bassey is experiencing after the African Cup of Nations, many African players have experienced it before him. And as often, this leads to a departure. In the case of Bassey, it is the hypothesis that is gaining momentum since the Super Eagle was one of the best central defenders of the African Cup of Nations in Morocco and returned in great shape. 

His relegation to the bench is therefore not the consequence of a drop in momentum, but of his participation in the AFCON. With three months to go before the end of the season, Marco Silva can still change positions, but in defence, rotations are very infrequent and Calvin Bassey should be mentally strong to hold on until the end of the season.

However, in summer his name should stir the transfer market. Especially since Calvin Bassey is one year away from the end of his contract with Fulham. Unless the management forces Marco Silva to play in order to convince him to extend. And again, the 26-year-old central defender will have the last word. One thing is certain, if his situation persists, a departure in summer would be almost inevitable, three years after his arrival. And there should not be a shortage of suitors.