BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: (SUN OUT, SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Arne Slot, Manger of Liverpool, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Liverpool FC at Amex Stadium on May 19, 2025 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)placeholder image
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: (SUN OUT, SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Arne Slot, Manger of Liverpool, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Liverpool FC at Amex Stadium on May 19, 2025 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Real Madrid are considering rading Liverpool again but Arne Slot has the perfect replacement in the Premier League.
Liverpool’s recruitment team might have momentarily pressed the pause button even if there is a feeling like the hard work has already been done.
In terms of potential arrivals, there isn’t that much left to do unless there are departures from Anfield to key players. Two who are out of contract soon are Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson, both of whom could be replaced with one Premier League star who is emerging as one of the most consistent in his position.
Who Liverpool could target to replace Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson
Arne Slot, as a pragmatist, loves nothing better than to be able to make subtle changes to his team depending on the opposition and there are few defenders more versatile than Calvin Bassey at Fulham.
The 25-year old was a late starter in terms of senior football having only made his debut for Rangers as a 21-year after leaving Leicester City on a Bosman and without seeing a single minute of action in the first team.
Even at the Glasgow giants, Bassey started slowly, making only a handful of sporadic appearances under Steven Gerrard before Giovanni van Bronckhorst – another Dutch pragmatist who is set to join Slot at Liverpool – unleashed him on the Europa League.
Switching between the left-sided centre-half position in a two, to the left of a three when a midfielder would drop into the middle to playing as both a left-back and left wing-back, Bassey was exceptional, earning a place in the team of the tournament, the man of the match for the final and a £20m move to Ajax.
Things didn’t work out at the Dutch masters though as a good start turned into a shambles and Bassey became something of a whipping boy for pundits, not that Fulham were put off and paid a similar fee to bring him to the Premier League.
The Nigeria international has gone from strength, to strength and his player of the year award for Fulham was well deserved. He also forced his way into the top five in terms of minutes played in the Premier League. Bassey is as robust as he is consistent.
How does Bassey compare to Konate?
Bassey might not be as good in the air as Konate, as Data MB’s comparison model highlights, however, on every other metric there isn’t a closer player to replace the French international, should Real Madrid repeat the trick that they pulled with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Radar image comparing Ibrahima Konate with Calvin Bassey of Fulham.placeholder image
Radar image comparing Ibrahima Konate with Calvin Bassey of Fulham. | Data MB.
Similar to Virgil van Dijk, Bassey, who Van Bronckhorst described as having a “serious physical presence” is a nightmare for forwards to get past. Even if he makes a mistake, he has the pace and physicality to recover. He is well used to defending half a pitch almost on his own from his time at Rangers, even if the standard of opposition maybe isn’t quite as high as the Premier League.
Another added bonus is, despite his status as a Nigeria international, is that Bassey is classed as association trained in terms of UEFA’s squad quotas and regulations due to his time at Leicester.
As if there weren’t already enough reasons to sign one of the best defenders in the league.
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