If Calvin Bassey’s price tag proves anything, it’s that there is plenty of talent kicking about the Under-23 Premier League even if players have never made any senior appearances for their side.
The money that gets thrown about the richest league in the world makes it also one of the hardest leagues for youth players to break through, especially for those teams at the sharp end of the table.
One such player is Cameron Humphreys, the 23-year old centre-half who is now a free agent after leaving Zulte Waregem of Belgium’s top flight, the former Manchester City academy graduate said to be a target for Rangers, according to The Daily Mail:
“Rangers, Sheffield United and Stoke City are also on the trail of the 23-year old centre back who is a free agent after allowing his contract to run down at Belgian side Zulte Waregem.”
Humphreys actually managed to make a couple of senior appearances for Man City although he faced stiff competition to hold down a regular place in the squad, never mind the starting XI, there is no shame in not nailing down a spot for one of the best club sides in the world, speaking on his debut as a teenager after a friendly against Real Madrid in he said:
“I actually did a Cruyff turn on Ronaldo, I took the ball off Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale gave me his shirt after the game. It was a good experience.”
The 6ft 2inch tall England Under-19 international has always been highly thought of and spent time on loan in the Netherlands too giving him a good experience of playing technical football, being comfortable on the ball is a pre-requisite given how much possession our centre-halves have.
As the report says, Rangers face competition from English sides but it’s safe to say that we can offer a lot more in terms of stature and European football compared to those named, hopefully, Humphrys and future targets will see the attention that Bassey is getting and think “I fancy some of that” – not much of a decision between European finals or a cold Tuesday night in Stoke.