Rangers’ recruitment has definitely improved to a certain extent in recent times.
Hamza Igamane is currently the jewel in the crown at the minute and looks like he will go on to make the club a huge profit on the £1.7million Rangers paid, despite a recent goal drought.
Jefte has also been linked with a big money move to Chelsea after costing just £680k. Mohamed Diomande is someone who the club were persuaded to spend a bigger outlay on (£4.3m) but has started to show why.
Fans took an instant liking to the Ivorian midfielder when he first joined on loan from Nordsjælland but it is fair to say he has been inconsistent in the period since, during which he became a permanent Gers player.
But Diomande’s stand-out display against Fenerbahce as Rangers ran riot in Turkey showed just what he is all about.
Lining up as a number 10 pairing along with Vaclav Cerny, some outstanding high pressing allowed the Light Blues to run amok and he finished the game with the joint highest key passes and tackles, while completing 100 per cent of his 39 passes.
Barry Ferguson insists Diomande has a bright future and it would be hard to argue if he keeps up that form.
- READ MORE: Rangers already found their next Jack Butland as ‘incredible’ £1.5m goalkeeper shines in England
Rangers found Premier League stats in Mohamed Diomande scouting
Rangers scouted the 23-year-old for four years after beginning to look at him in 2020 right from the start of his Nordsjælland spell having moved there from the Right to Dream academy.
Coming from that academy, his running stats were compared to midfielders at Brighton because of the links between the Seagulls and Right to Dream.
What Gers scouts found was that Diomande’s top speed and distance per-game were already at a Premier League standard.
His high-intensity runs per minute was something that needed improved but could be worked on with him.
A report in the Rangers Review states: “One of the advancements Rangers’ bespoke in-house scouting tool has introduced is the ability to view technical stats (xG) alongside physical stats (running numbers) during recruitment.
“Diomande’s running numbers were compared to Brighton No.8s in the scouting process, due to the link between Right to Dream graduates and the south-coast club, who are a recruitment benchmark.
“While his high-intensity runs per minute required work (something that can improve with coaching and timing) the player’s top speed and distance per-game were already on a Premier League level upon arrival.
“The vitality of physicality and technique is now a must in elite football and while Rangers’ direct style under Clement required Diomande for second balls to be won and defences stretched, too often he was playing in a midfield where the ball went over his head.”
What Barry Ferguson said about Diomande
Barry Ferguson’s arrival at Rangers can certainly help the midfielders at the club, given his status as one of the greatest ever players in that position.
It is definitely working so far with Diomande.
And Fergie is a big fan, saying after the Kilmarnock win: “I want to get my teeth into every single player. Obviously, I wasn’t always looking at the midfield area, because I was a midfielder myself,” Ferguson explains. “But I’m here to help, I’m here to try and make players better. Not just me, my staff [as well have this responsibility].
“[Diomande] is certainly a player that I see a lot in [but] I think there’s still areas of his game that he has to improve.
“I understand that. It’s the same with Nico Raskin. It’s the same with Bailey Rice. It’s the same with all the midfielders.
“I just don’t want to focus on the midfielders. Obviously, I want to focus on other players throughout the team, but he’s certainly a player that I think has got a bright future.”
