Rangers didn’t seem to need any midfield reinforcements in the January transfer window, however, the arrival of Mohamed Diomande suggests that we did.
The Ivorian has been outstanding since signing, a highly technical player, the 22-year old looks like the perfect fit for Gers boss Philippe Clement’s high octane philosophy.
What Rangers didn’t expect, was to see Mohamed Diomande start scoring screamers quite so quickly in his Ibrox career with Clement revealing why the versatile midfielder was targeted in his post-match press conference.
Rangers have master of all midfield trades in Mohamed Diomande
A loan to buy deal said to have a summer purchase option of £4.3m is now looking like a shrewd bit of business.
Not only has Diomande shown that he can be a difference maker, he has shown that he can roll his sleeves up too.
The player himself has confirmed that the number eight position we saw him play against St Johnstone is his favourite, but his work out of possession demonstrates that he can handle the physicality of Scottish football.
When asked what Mohamed Diomande’s best position for Rangers is, the gaffer said:
“I told you guys he can play in the three positions in midfield. We had a lot of talks with him about that. I want also to know players really well before they come into the building.
“So, I want players who are available for the team, who don’t only come to play their own game or their own position. Dio can play the three positions in midfield without a problem.
“It’s good for him of course to feel directly really good in the team but it’s because of all the people around him also.”
The encouraging thing is, he looked really good at number ten on his competitive debut.
Alongside John Lundstram though, Diomande looked like a natural, not a player who has only just arrived.
He was moving the ball quickly on a difficult playing surface, created a great chance for Fabio Silva and was a constant menace to the St Johnstone midfield.
As we’ve seen under Philippe Clement, attitude and work rate goes a long way and, if Mohamed Diomande’s early appearances for Rangers are anything to go by, it’s easy to see why the boss was so keen to bring him to the club.
