Rangers are set to confirm the signing of FC Nordsjaelland midfielder Mohamed Diomande imminently with Philippe Clement closing in on his second signing of the January transfer window.
Barry Ferguson, the former Ibrox captain, certainly likes what he sees.
And his optimism is shared by many in blue, Mohamed Diomande set to become Rangers’ first permanent signing of 2024 after manager Philippe Clement and recruitment chief Nils Koppern ran the rule over the highly-rated midfielder.
Football Insider’s Peter O’Rourke reported on Thursday afternoon that Rangers are now on the verge of completing Diomande’s signing. The Ivory Coast Under 21 international will be announced ’imminently’ once the paperwork is completed and his contract is signed.
Rangers close in on Mohamed Diomande
Diomande, who only turned 22 in October, is a graduate of the feted, Ghana-based Right to Dream academy. He followed in the footsteps of Mohamed Kudus when flying the nest and heading to Denmark with Nordsjaelland four years ago, and will now join the West Ham star on UK soil.
“When I knew it was probably going to be happening yesterday, as you do, you go on to YouTube and have a look,” Ferguson tells the Daily Record. “Listen, everybody can look good on YouTube. But from the highlights, he looks as if he has got something about him.
“(Diomande is) certainly a player the manager knows and fancies so interesting to see if it gets done in the next couple of days.”
Tough-tackling and tenacious yet technically gifted too, Diomande has taken his game to a new level in recent months, providing five assists in 21 appearances for Nordsjaelland this season. He has also accumulated more cards than your local branch of Clinton’s, his tally of nine bookings painting the picture of a footballer who possesses the bite and the aggression to thrive in Scottish football.
Following in footsteps of West Ham United ace
Nordsjaelland coach Johan Thorup, meanwhile, is quick to dismiss any criticism over Diomande’s lack of goals, insisting that he makes up for that blind spot in other areas of his game.
“Instead of talking about his scoring statistics, why don’t we look at the statistics about how many defensive tackles he makes?,” Thorup said. “Then, it would be turned into a positive story.
“Listen, Mohammed is one of the best midfielders in Denmark. He has been absolutely fantastic for us this season and I hope that most people can see that.”
Rangers certainly can. Diomande, who prefers to line up on in a more left-leaning role, could potentially pave the way for Ryan Jack or John Lundstram to depart. The experienced duo are out of contract in the summer.
