Bassey ‘on the ball is like Bambi on ice’ - Former Ajax winger Perez not impressed by Nigerian
- Ex-Ajax winger not happy with Bassey’s abilities on the ball
- Perez has termed the defender ‘mediocre & pathetic’ on the ball
- The 22-year-old has been heavily criticised since joining Ajax
WHAT HAPPENED? Bassey has been the subject of criticism from Ajax’s former players since he signed for the club in the summer transfer window from Scottish side Rangers.
Perez, who had two stints at Ajax between 2006 and 2008, is the latest to make his feelings known about the Nigerian defender whom he feels is out of his depth and still ‘not good enough’ to turn out for the Dutch giants.
WHAT DID HE SAY? "It's very mediocre on the ball, Bambi on ice. It's almost pathetic. Of course, they let him [Bassey] go completely free, so he has to come up with an idea,” Perez told ESPN as quoted by Ajax Showtime.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Perez’s sentiments come less than a week after another ex-Ajax player Marciano Vink claimed the 22-year-old ‘cannot play football’ in defence for the Eredivisie champions while questioning why the club spent €23 million on him.
Bassey seems to have become one of the fall guys whenever Ajax underperform with the latest criticism coming after Ajax’s 2-2 home draw against Vitesse Arnhem on Wednesday. The defender was also cited for his mistake in his club’s 2-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven on Sunday as well as the Champions League when they succumbed to defeats against Liverpool and Napoli.
The Super Eagles star has, however, received the backing of his coach Alfred Schreuder who has said he ‘is making enormous progress’ but still needs time to realise his true potential. Schreuder has not lost faith in Bassey whom he has selected in 17 straight matches despite the criticism.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR BASSEY? Ajax are away to FC Emmen on Saturday in what will be their final Eredivisie match before the World Cup break and the defender will be looking for a good performance as his sides seek to bounce back to winning ways.