When Rangers signed Mohamed Diomande, the midfielder became the poster boy of the club’s new transfer vision.
Here was the Ibrox club, under the leadership of new director of recruitment Nils Koppen, tying down the immediate future of one of West Africa’s brightest talents.
The fact that Mohamed Diomande used to train in a Rangers jersey after leaving the Ivory Coast for the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana only added to the romanticism.
Rangers have set about restructuring their squad with the aim to produce a revolving door of talented youngsters who can develop their skills, deliver trophies and bank hefty profits.
Mohamed Diomande is in many respects the embodiment of this vision and now the midfielder’s progression has been once again recognised by the Ivory Coast.
Mohamed Diomande earns Ivory Coast call up
There was something of an international tug of war for Mohamed Diomande’s services heading into the summer.
Having spent his formative footballing years in Ghana, the Black Stars tried to steal in on Diomande’s native Ivory Coast by calling the midfielder up to their squad.
But given Diomande’s loyalty to the country of his birth, the 22-year-old waited for a shout from the Ivory Coast and earned his first two caps for the country during the last international period.
Coming off the bench in World Cup Qualifiers against Gabon and Kenya, the Rangers midfielder has now been called up to the Ivory Coast national squad for a second time.
Selected for the Ivory Coast’s upcoming AFCON qualifiers v Zambia (H) and Chad (A), Diomande has been included alongside a number of top Ivorian talents.
The current holders of the AFCON trophy, Diomande could play alongside £30m Nottingham Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangare in the heart of the nation’s midfield.
The likes of £26m Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastian Haller and Manchester United winger/ex-Rangers attacker Amad Diallo have also been included.
Rangers transfer profile receives international boost
The Rangers recruitment team will be delighted to see Mohamed Diomande take yet more steps in his professional development with the Ivory Coast.
Rangers have overseen a number of West African players taking their first steps in international football in recent seasons.
Nigerian duo Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo made their first Super Eagles appearances whilst Rangers players, whilst Abdallah Sima earned a Senegal recall whilst a Gers player.
The club have had a number of Nigerian internationals on their books in recent seasons, with Leon Balogun and Cyriel Dessers current members of the Rangers squad.
As the Ibrox club look to become an attractive proposition for burgeoning young talents looking to take their next steps in the game, this international exposure can only be viewed as a good thing.
West Africa is a region which has supplied some of the best African players of the last few generations and it makes sense for Rangers to retain an interest in the players coming out of the region.
The same can be said of North Africa too, with Egyptian left-winger Ibrahim Adel the latest name to be linked with Ibrox.
