This polished Paris-born centre-back's first taste of English football came at Newcastle United following a £500,000 move from Ligue 1 club Metz in 2008. After just single season on Tyneside, in which the club were relegated from the Premier League, he was snapped up by Tottenham Hotspur for a reported fee of £8 million.

A goal on his debut for Spurs, during a 2-1 win against Liverpool, helped him settle quickly a White Hart Lane and became a regular in manager Harry Redknapp's defensive quartet - making a total of 38 appearances during the 2009-10 season.

Bassong graduated from the French national academy at Clairefontaine and played for Les Bleus at Under-21 level before switching allegiance to Cameroon, for whom he qualified through his parents. He was then overlooked for the Lion's 2010 African Cup Nations Squad but returned to the fold for the 2010 World Cup - making two appearances.

He moved to Wolves on loan in January 2012 after falling out of favour at Spurs.

Strengths: A strong centre-back with good concentration who loves a physical challenge. He also comfortable on the ball having been schooled at Clairefontaine.

Weaknesses: Suspect in the air and looks uncomfortable when not played in his natural position.

Career high: Winning back his place with the Cameroon national team for the 2010 World Cup after being overlooked for the African Cup of Nations in the same year.

Career low: Being relegated from the Premier League with Newcastle United following his first season in English football.

Style: A ball-playing centre-back who is disciplined in his defensive duties and refrains from lunging into desperate tackles.

Quotes: "He'd forgotten to put his shorts on," Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said after a game against Liverpool. "It's a new one on me and you do wonder, don't you? I don't know whether someone has to do his bootlaces up as well."

Trivia: He was voted Newcastle's player of the season during his only campaign with the club.