There are around two weeks left to go before the end of the summer transfer window and Glasgow Rangers have not lost any of their major assets yet.
Brazilian left-back Jefte is reportedly closing in on a return to his home country to sign for Palmeiras for a reported fee of £6m, with the club set to bank a healthy profit on the £800k they paid Fluminense last year.
The crown jewels of Russell Martin’s side, however, have not yet been snapped up, as Hamza Igamane, Nicolas Raskin, and Mohamed Diomande are still Rangers players as it stands.
Premier League side Everton have been linked with Igamane, the Gers are braced for interest in Raskin still, and the Light Blues have fielded an offer from Besiktas for Diomande.
This shows that there is tangible interest in some of the club’s best talents, and that is why there is still some doubt over whether or not they will still be part of the squad at Ibrox when the summer transfer window officially slams shut at the start of next month.
If Bestikas, for example, come back in with another offer for Diomande, the Light Blues may have their resolve tested despite there not being much time left in the window.
Why losing Mohamed Diomande would be a blow for Rangers
Selling the Ivorian central midfielder before the end of the window would be a big blow to Martin and Rangers because he is a proven performer who has showcased his quality domestically and in Europe.
Diomande is a versatile midfield talent who can easily be deployed as a deep-lying midfielder, as a box-to-box workhorse, or further forward in a number ten role, due to his wide range of attributes in and out of possession.
In the Scottish Premiership, the left-footed star scored four goals, created 11 ‘big chances’, and delivered seven assists in 36 appearances, per Sofascore, which shows that he can make an impact at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
He is not only effective in possession, though, as the 23-year-old talent caught the eye with his defensive contributions in midfield in the club’s Europa League campaign last season.
Tackles
12
Top 19%
Tackle success rate
63%
Top 45%
Duels won
53
Top 11%
Interceptions
11
Top 23%
Ball recoveries
47
Top 22%
Fouls committed
12
Top 18%
As you can see in the table above, Diomande ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of defensive metrics, which shows that he was one of the more effective defensive midfielders in the competition.
This is why it would be a big blow to lose him before the end of the window, because of the quality he provides on and off the ball, but the Gers are reportedly looking at a star who could ease that blow.
Rangers racing to sign Premier League midfielder
According to Football Insider, Rangers are one of the teams racing to strike a deal with West Ham United for central midfielder Andrew Irving this summer.
The report claims that the Light Blues and their Premiership and Glasgow rivals Celtic are both fighting it out to sign the Scotland international to bolster their midfield options.
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It adds that Irving wants to play regular football and would jump at the opportunity to play European football, which both teams will have, after a season of mainly watching on from the sidelines or bench with the Hammers.
Football Insider reveals that Celtic and Rangers are both exploring the possibility of a swoop for the former Hearts man, and that West Ham will not stand in his way if a good offer comes their way.
It was reported earlier this month that a fee in the region of £3m could be enough to tempt the Premier League side into cashing in on the midfield maestro.
Why Rangers should sign Andy Irving
The Gers should be pushing to beat Celtic to the West Ham United outcast’s signature because he could come in as a Diomande clone for Martin, easing the blow of potentially losing the Ivorian star this summer.
Even if the former Nordsjaelland ace remains at Ibrox, signing Irving would leave the manager with two top-quality options in midfield to rotate between.
Like Diomande, the Scottish whiz is a versatile midfielder who has the qualities in and out of possession to suit playing in pretty much any role that Martin needs in the middle of the park.
Irving, who made ten substitute appearances, ranked within the top 8% of Premier League midfielders for passes made (60) and the top 16% for pass accuracy (90%) for West Ham last season, which speaks to his ability to play in a deep-lying controller role.
The 25-year-old’s form on loan at Klagenfurt in the Austrian Bundesliga in the 2023/24 campaign, meanwhile, shows that he can be a box-to-box presence in midfield, just like Diomande.
Appearances
28
36
Goals
9
4
Big chances created
7
11
Assists
4
7
Dribbles completed per game
1.1
0.9
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.7
1.8
Duels won per game
4.9
4.2
As you can see in the table above, both players offer similar qualities in the middle of the park with their goal contributions, dribbling skills, and defensive work off the ball, which suggests that they make a similar impact on matches in midfield.
In fact, Rangers fan and analyst Kai Watson recently claimed that Irving “would provide everything that most fans have been expecting from Mo Diomande” and that he would suit Martin’s tactical system well.
The statistics from his time in the Austrian Bundesliga suggest that it is an accurate assessment from Watson, as Irving has the offensive and defensive qualities to be a Diomande clone at Ibrox.
This is why Irving could be a fantastic signing for Rangers because he could provide competition for the Ivorian midfielder if he remains at Ibrox, whilst also having the ability to be a brilliant replacement for him.
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