Rangers are supposedly on the brink of the first signing in the month of January with the capture of Nordsjælland midfielder Mohamed Diomande, 22.

In a curious addition, in a position where Rangers are arguably the strongest right now, Philippe Clement has sought to strengthen and add to John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Nico Raskin and Dujon Sterling via the Ivorian U21 international.

We don’t know a lot about Diomande, other than the fact that he appears to be a very decent midfielder indeed, but we do know he’s out of contract this summer (aren’t they all) and would be a precontract unless a nominal fee can be agreed now.

In terms of his style, we found this from ‘targetscouting’:

“Mohamed Diomande was deployed as a left winger during the first half, where he was given the licence to drop into the half spaces almost operating as a 10 at times. While during the second half, Diomande dropped into the midfield 3 on the left side, where he was more involved in the earlier phases of the build-up. Diomande stands at roughly 1,83m, with an ectomorph physique. The Ivorian’s pace is nothing to write home about, but nevertheless, his long strides are relatively quick over longer distances. Despite this, he’s quick over the first few yards combined with his ability to turn fast in possession he gets a good headstart on the opposition

Diomande showed real quality with the ball at his feet. Due to his good movement, he’s constantly demanding the ball in the half-space, where he can use his good agility to turn the opponent and look to penetrate the opposition’s lines. Diomande has a brilliant passing range accompanied by great vision. He frequently looked to switch the ball to the opposite flank and finding the space. Diomande was brilliant in the transition of this game where he utilised all his skill sets to launch counter-attacks or slow down the play and look to play in his teammates. The young Ivorian’s first touches were unblemished and as touched on previously, combined with his passing range highlights his technical ability.

Diomande displayed excellent movement in the final third, notably on two occasions marauding between the two CBs and fashioning two-headed chances. One was a goal, which was brilliantly looped over the GK’s head in combination with his fantastic movement that gave the FC FC Nordsjælland CB, Kian Hansen, the opportunity to play a ball over the top and create the chance. The timing of his runs was key.

While in the defensive phase, Diomande moved well in the defensive unit and applied pressure when appropriate. However, when FC Nordsjælland dropped into a lower block Diomande could switch off from his defensive responsibilities.”

But the next bit is more telling:

“Diomande is yet another brilliant prospect coming through the Right To Dream & FC Nordsjælland system, who is destined to play at a higher level. Diomande is a good technical player whose first thought is to play forward. I strongly believe in optimising his output in games he would be more suited as 10, where he can drop deep to pick up the ball and utilise his passing range, as well as, drop into advanced zones and look to unlock the defence and venture into the box.”

So, Todd Cantwell then?

We’re not quite sure why we’re bringing in another player similar to what we have, but it’s Philippe Clement’s call of course.

We’ll see if Rangers get this one over the line.