Philippe Clement has stressed the importance of getting in early when it comes to Rangers snaring top talents from emerging markets.
The signing of Hamza Igamane from Moroccan side FAR Rabat looks to have been a shrewd bit of business by Rangers, even if fans had initially expected a bigger impact after a £1.7m move.
Philippe Clement reckons Rangers are now beginning to see why the club moved for Igamane and claims that the Ibrox side wouldn’t have been able to afford a deal had they hung fire until next summer.
The same situation appears to be developing with South African baller Relebohile Mofokeng, the Orlando Pirates talent who is fast becoming one of African football’s most hyped young players.
Rangers linked to Relebohile Mofokeng
Rangers were strongly linked to Relebohile Mofokeng in the summer after the now 20-year-old broke through in South African football as a teenager.
The Gers were linked alongside Premier League Wolves, who’d taken Mofokeng on trial earlier in the his young career.
Amid advice from South Africa manager Hugo Broos, Mofokeng has stayed put in South Africa and it’s a situation which may well benefit the attacking midfielder.
It comes with Relebohile Mofokeng being linked to Barcelona as his profile continues to build in South Africa.
Rangers are well used to young players slipping through their fingers just before they go on to catch a big break.
Tijjani Reijnders appeared Rangers-bound before Bert Konterman warned the Dutch playmaker off a move, with the midfielder now tearing it up at AC Milan.
South Africa wonderkid awarded ‘Sportsperson of the Year’
Relebohile Mofokeng really is one of South African football’s brightest young talents and the attacker is viewed as a big player in the future plans of the Bafana Bafana.
Such is Mofokeng’s burgeoning fame, the youngster has also just been named as GQ’s Sportsperson of the Year in South Africa.
Mofokeng really exploded onto the scene in South Africa amid those links to Rangers in the summer, earning his first minutes for the Bafana Bafana national side.
This came after the player scored a last-minute winning goal for the Orlando Pirates against Mamelodi Sundowns in the country’s national cup competition.
It’s a moment which has saw Relebohile Mofokeng earn such a hefty title, with style icons GQ magazine waxing lyrical about the kid.
“Relebohile Mofokeng is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and winger for Orlando Pirates and the South Africa national team,” reads a GQ blurb.
”Mofokeng is quickly establishing himself as one of the most impressive talents in local football.”
