Bassey v Aribo: Who has the better chance to hit the ground running at their new clubs?

Joe Aribo's move to English club Southampton was arguably the biggest Nigerian transfer story so far this summer transfer window until news recently broke of Calvin Bassey's imminent move to Ajax.

In a general scope, Nigerian players have had a good transfer window, especially Aribo and Bassey. It is well known that sometimes player transfers do not go linearly. Sometimes players need time to adjust to their new teams while others hit the ground running.

With both Nigerians completing record-breaking deals to the Premier League and Eredivisie, allnigeriasoccer.com takes a look at which player has the best chance to hit the ground running at their new teams comparing a variety of conditions.

Squad role

It is quite obvious that Calvin Bassey is being signed by Ajax to compensate for the loss of Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez to Manchester United. Lisandro covered positions like defensive midfield, left-back and left centre-back for Ajax before his departure.

Bassey is also quite known for his versatility and being able to cover the left-back and left centre-back positions.

If not for a slight difference of not being able to play defensive midfield, Bassey would have been a like-for-like replacement for Martinez.

Aribo on the other hand is being brought in by Ralph Hasenhüttl into a system that changes quite often.

Most times Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse are paired in the midfield in a 4-4-2 with Che Adams and Armando Broja (now returned to Chelsea) leading the line. So it is not yet known which system will be deployed at St Mary's next season.

Conclusion: Bassey has clarity on the team style, position and what is expected of him while Aribo may not have that full luxury.

Winner :  Bassey.

Team dominance

Aribo: Moving from a dominant team Rangers to a mid-table team Southampton which may have their backs against the wall for almost half the season is a highly pressured situation.

There will no doubt be an emphasis on performing for the team immediately which may be too much for a player coming into a new team.

Bassey: From a dominant team to a more dominant one is a great thing for a player. Bassey will no doubt be able to focus on improving himself in an already established highly-technical team.

Winner: Bassey

League quality

This is as clear as day because almost everyone knows that the Premier League is one of the most difficult leagues to adapt to if not the most. While nothing is set in stone in football, on paper, Bassey is clearly in an advantageous position.

It's quite easier to defend against Eredivisie attackers in a dominant team than trying to create goalscoring chances against the mean defences of the EPL in a mid-table team.

Winner: Bassey

Verdict

It is quite clear that Bassey is the winner here, however, football has so many things in stock and anything can happen.

Sofoluwe Mayowa

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