Littleton native Cole Bassett is on the move again.
Early Saturday morning, the Colorado Rapids announced they had recalled Bassett’s loan from Feyenoord. In the next breath, however, he was loaned out to Fortuna Sittard, also in the Dutch Eredevisie, for the remainder of the 2022-’23 season.
Regardless of where he was going to play this season, Bassett made clear he wanted to remain in the Netherlands’ top flight.
“Happy to join (Fortuna) Sittard for this season,” Bassett said in an Instagram story. “Can’t wait to play in front of you all soon.”
Bassett, 21, joined Feyenoord on an 18-month loan in January 2022 and made eight appearances with one assist. The budding U.S. Men’s National team player has not reached 100 minutes with Feyenoord yet. And with a log-jam at his position, the Rapids front office acted by giving Bassett another shot in the Netherlands, though it came with a potential for muddying the waters.
In 2022 FIFA enacted rules to protect parent clubs whose players are on loan. One mechanism teams frequently use is called “sub loans,” when a player is loaned again from the team they were originally loaned to, without the parent team agreeing to it. New rules state that the parent team has to formally recall the original loan, bring the player back, and only then can create a new loan deal with a different team.
As part of the agreement, Feyenoord will retain a buy-back clause for Bassett from the Rapids at the end of the loan at the original asking price. According to a team source familiar with the situation, by March 2023, the Rotterdam side will have to decide whether they will purchase Bassett next summer for the agreed-upon price.
Additionally, the source said there is a potential scenario where Bassett returns to Colorado. Another clause which was stated and confirmed, is that the Rapids could recall Bassett by January if certain metrics and performances are not met. If it comes to fruition, Colorado would have Bassett back for the entirety of the 2023 MLS season and the loan would be reduced to 12 months versus the agreed-upon 18.
After spending 16 seasons in the second division, Fortuna Sittard were promoted in 2018. Since then, it has staved off relegation season after season, including last year when the “Yellow-and-Green” finished 15th of 18. Under new ownership, the club, which plays in a city of under 40,000 and is located in the southern end of the country, is shooting for a mid-table or better finish for long-term stability. Bassett is expected to help them climb.
Colorado’s front office was hopeful he’d crack the starting lineup for good this fall and beyond at Feyenoord after being used primarily off the bench last year. However, the team had a pair of financial windfalls from strong play in European competitions and seismic deals in the transfer market.
Since July, Feyenoord sold four key players totaling at least $57.8 million. With $60 million-plus in assets from sales and tournament play, they re-invested the money to buy new players, which blocked Bassett’s pathway.
Still, he regularly featured in the preseason and scored three times. According to outlets in the Netherlands, Feyenoord still thinks highly of Bassett, but the famed Dutch side needs more evidence (by Bassett receiving maximum minutes at Fortuna Sittard) before pulling the trigger to buy him or not.
In a release, Bassett’s new team confirmed that the process for gaining a new work permit is underway. Fortuna Sittard will face FC Twente in its second game of league action at 6:30 a.m. MDT Sunday.
