BRIGHT FUTURE
‘Aggressive and good on the ball – the next Bassey?’ Lowdown on Rangers new signing Clinton Nsiala from Italian insider
A number of clubs in Italy were keen on the player too - and AC Milan's stance has been revealed
CALVIN BASSEY cost Rangers nothing but pennies in transfer fees in 2020.
But he earned them £20m when sold to Ajax two years later - the largest deal in club history.
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He's now a regular in the Premier League with Fulham and a fully-fledged international with Nigeria.
The Leicester City youth academy product was a key player during Rangers' run to the Europa League final in 2022 and was a standout in the Scottish Cup triumph that year too, with memorable performances in the semi-final against Celtic and the final against Hearts.
The Ibrox faithful would have loved to see him stick around in Glasgow for a while longer but no-one could say no when that kind of money was on offer.
And Gers cult hero Marco Negri reckons one of his old club's latest recruits could emulate Bassey's success story.
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Clinton Nsiala was signed from AC Milan this week on a pre-contract (just like Bassey), becoming Philippe Clement's third addition of the window.
The 19-year-old joined Gers despite interest from other Italian clubs who had noticed his displays for the AC Milan team that reached the final of the Uefa Youth League last season.
Former Ibrox striker Negri previously worked with the Milan academy and still keeps an eye on the current youth crop to this day.
He is familiar with the Gers new boy and believes that with a little patience, the defender could become a top player.
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Negri told the Daily Record: “I know Clinton well. I’ve watch at lot of the AC Milan youth team and I’m always looking around to see which young players are breaking through.
“He’s a centre-back with a very good, modern profile.
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“But he’s very young and he’s only played Under-19s football which is very different to first-team level.
“Of course he has to improve. I believe Philippe Clement speaks a little French having worked with Monaco so hopefully that means the language won’t be a barrier and he can work with Clinton.
“But this is a player you need to have patience with and wait for him to adjust. There’s a lot of work to be done.
“On the other side, Clinton must realise where he is going because Rangers is not a normal club. He has to know he’s joining a great club but also one with a lot a expectations and games like the Old Firm that are very different to what he will have experienced before.
“He must be ready for that. There’s two sides to this signing. He’s a development player so he needs that time, but on the other hand, no-one gets too much time at Ibrox!
“You must perform and go step by step. But I’m confident he can be a good signing.”
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Digging deeper into the traits of Nsiala, the similarities with Bassey become more apparent.
The French youth international is left-sided, likes to have the ball at his feet and dominant in one-v-one situations.
Negri said: "Clinton is very, very aggressive, has a good left foot and comfortable on the ball.
“As a defender, he’s strong in the one-v-one situations. He’s not very tall but he is good in the air. There are nice attributes.
“But the main difficulty is taking that step from youth football to Scottish football.
“I know what the game is like in your country and it’s tough. The style is aggressive with a fast rhythm. In Italy, usually the defenders can take their time and see what is happening. That doesn’t happen in Scotland!
“But I think it’s an interesting pick by Rangers. If he continues to improve the way he has, in a couple of years’ time it could turn out to be a great signing.
“Now we just have to wait and see what the answer is.
“In Italy, there is a big, big gap between youth football and Serie A, maybe moving to Scotland can be an easier step to take.”
Negri believes those inside Ibrox have a clear path for Nsiala, who may like Bassey not feature too often in the first team during his early months at the club.
He calls Nsiala a gamble - but one worth taking.
Negri also revealed that many others in Italy have high hopes for Nsiala - and that the board of the Rossoneri were gutted he didn't renew his contract at the San Siro.
“The hope of everyone at Ibrox is that Clinton follows the same path as Bassey, he said.
“We all know that Rangers are looking for this kind of player that they can buy for cheap, help him improve and become successful at the club, and then if a bigger club with a lot of money comes along, they can sell him and use the money to buy another player.
“So when you can get a player like Clinton for free, then it’s a gamble worth taking but Rangers have done well to get to him first.
“There were other Italian clubs looking at Nsiala, so he’s a player of interest.
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“Everyone here in Italy knows he can be a cracking player. The board of Milan were very upset that he didn’t sign a new contract.
“Rangers are looking to do things that have an eye to the future and he is definitely a player for the future.”
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