The Ivorian teenager is tipped for a mega bucks move this summer and is the one who got away at Ibrox
dailyrecord
06:00, 09 Jun 2026
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Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig
With an ensemble cast and a clutch of awards, blockbuster Quentin Tarantino flick Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has shot straight into many critics’ lists of all-time great movies.
On social media, though, it’s best known for producing one of the internet’s most popular memes.
The scene involves Leonardo DiCaprio in his role as faded movie star Rick Dalton sitting in an armchair with a beer and cigarette in one hand, excitedly pointing at the TV with his other.
For folk online, it’s become a fun way of expressing sudden moments of surprise recognition.
And it’s one that sprung to mind for former Rangers youngster Robbie Fraser when it dawned on him that the RB Leipzig wing sensation tearing it up in the Bundesliga was actually the mysterious trialist who very nearly signed on at Ibrox.
Now that unknown kid who jetted into Ibrox for a week before disappearing looks set to be named as the £100million successor to Mo Salah’s Liverpool throne.
Yan Diomande has sprung to the the top of the Anfield outfit’s summer wish list as they seek to replace their Egyptian king.
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Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig
But had things turned out differently, Diomande may very well have been reigning supreme in Glasgow.
It was back in October 2023 that the Ivory Coast World Cup man pitched up at Gers for a trial stint under B team boss Davie McCallum.
The then 16-year-old - who had been playing semi-professional football in America at the DME Academy in Daytona Beach - even featured in a game at Ibrox as the Light Blues’ second string took on Monaco’s reserves in a bounce game.
Fraser was impressed by what he saw in the 3-1 defeat. But like DeCaprio, he was left pointing at the screen in astonishment when he saw where he ended up years later.
“You kind of forget about these lads who come in on trial,” said the former Gers defender, now part of Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline back-line.
“It was only a while later that we saw him show up in Germany with Leipzig. I remember seeing these clips online of him scoring all these incredible goals.
“It’s one of those ones where you’re pointing at the screen going, ‘I know this lad! I’ve played with him!’ And now he’s worth £100m. It’s crazy!
“But to be honest, it’s not that much of a surprise because we could all see the type of ability he had. There’s certainly no question he'll deserve his move to Liverpool if it comes about because he’s some player.
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Yan Diomande of RB Leipzig
“He’ll have a lot to live up to at Anfield because he’s been talked up as Salah’s replacement but I think he’s shown how good a player he is already in Germany.”
Three years ago, however, Diamonde had it all to prove as he sought a deal in Scotland. But for Fraser, his quality immediately shone through.
He said: “I can’t really remember too much of where he came from. I think it was a club in the fourth division in America.
“But it was just a normal training week, we were building up for a game against Monaco at Ibrox. He appeared in the dressing room one day and joined us for training. I think he stayed a week and trained every day.
“He was a little shy in the changing room. He didn’t really speak much. The other lads did their best to involve him but I don’t think he spoke much English at that point.
“But once we got out on to the training pitch, his feet did all the talking! You could tell he had a lot of ability straight away.
“And when we got to the game against Monaco, he was absolutely brilliant. He played on the right for us but he drifted about. You could see he had bundles of ability. A top player.
“He was great off either foot. He was direct, he was quick, he was strong. He rarely lost the ball even though he was a dribbler. But that was the last we saw of him. He played in that Monaco game and that was it.
“I’ll be honest, I was a bit shocked we didn’t get him signed given how good he was but just assumed he had trials elsewhere. I thought he was that good there must have been other teams in for him.
“Having these lads coming in on trial was something that happened quite a lot. In fact it was constant in the B team at that time.
“Because it was a programme of friendlies we were playing at that time, it was easy to play trialists. So we were always getting guys coming in for a week to train but then they’d disappear and you’d never hear about them again.
“But clearly Diomande is different. He’s a freak of nature who now looks like he’ll be going for huge money.”
Diomande did indeed have try-outs elsewhere, going on to have spells training with Chelsea and Bournemouth before signing for Spanish side Leganes ahead of a £17million move to the Red Bulls in Germany.
For many disgruntled fans, the failure to nail down this generational talent has been added to the list of Gers’ recent recruitment blunders.
But Diomande himself has defended Ibrox chiefs, stating: “It's not true that I didn't want to sign for them - my agent at the time demanded too much money.”
But Fraser can’t help but wonder what might have been had Gers splashed the cash needed.
He said: “You do ask yourself why the club didn’t push the boat out for him. It’s tough when you’re up against clubs that can offer more.
“But I still feel like that when you’ve got someone of that ability, it’s worth the gamble. And I felt he was because in one game, I could see right away the type of player he was going to become.
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Robbie Fraser is hoping a successful loan stint at Livingston can see him challenge for game time at Rangers next season(Image: Craig Foy / SNS Group)
“At that time, I reckon he’d only have been about a year away from being first-team ready.
“I know Davie McCallum really liked him but it was around the time that Michael Beale had been sacked and Steven Davis was in charge for a couple of weeks, so maybe eyes were elsewhere at the time because of the turmoil at that time.
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“Maybe it got pushed to one side and didn’t get acted on because of the circumstances at the time.
“But I do sometimes wonder if the club could have got it done. It’s a case of what could have been for Rangers had they got a player like that signed because there’s no doubt, he’s going to be a superstar. He’ll be remembered as the one who got away.”