Mohamed Diomande of Rangers
Mohamed Diomande of Rangers
A box-to-box midfielder, a number 10, a left winger, left-back and holding midfielder – it seems as though Everton could be attempting to tick off a number of positions to strengthen their squad in one fell swoop with the pursuit of Mohamed Diomande. The Rangers star offers the kind of versatility not witnessed at the Blues since the days of Alan Harper – when, with just a single substitute allowed, utility men were worth their weight in gold – but just what might he potentially offer David Moyes’ side?
An article by Charlie Gordon in the Express states that Everton have identified Diomande as one of several midfield targets as it is seen as a key areas to address with Abdoulaye Doucoure leaving the club this summer when his contract expires, having rejected a new deal on reduced terms, and on-loan Orel Mangala having already been sent back to parent club Olympique Lyonnais for his rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in the 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on January 25. The piece adds that Diomande, who can operate in a variety of positions, is a player Everton chiefs have identified as a candidate to bolster Moyes’ ranks in the middle of the park, and while the Glasgow side would naturally be reluctant to lose someone who played such a prominent role last term, the Blues now have the financial might to table an offer which would land them a tidy profit after only 12 months.
Diomande was born in Yopougon, known colloquially as Yop City, a suburb of Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s largest city and former capital, on October 30, 2001. He started his career across the border at the Right to Dream academy in Ghana that has also seen the likes of West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus and Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana – both a couple of former Everton targets – progress through their ranks.
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In common with the aforementioned pair, Diomande’s first port of call in Europe was Danish side Nordsjaelland and after making his professional debut in a 6-0 romp against AC Horsens in a Superliga match on February 19, 2020, he went on to make 111 appearances for the club, scoring 16 goals. On January 26, 2024, Diomande moved to Ibrox on loan with an obligation to buy for £4.3million, and told Rangers fans that as a youngster in Africa he used to wear one of their jerseys that had been given to him by a visiting Scot and that blue is his favourite colour.
So far, he has played 67 times for the Gers, netting on eight occasions, including six in 48 during 2024/25. Making his international debut for Ivory Coast in a 1-0 win over Gabon on June 7 last year, Diomande also has six caps for his country.
So, when it comes to style, what kind of player is the 23-year-old? Comparisonator’s Similarity tool calculates Diomande as being an 84% match to Chelsea’s Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season, Moises Caicedo, the Ecuador international who they bought from Brighton & Hove Albion for a British record £115million on August 14, 2023.
Next up is Ryan Christie of Bournemouth on 79%, followed by Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest on 74% and after that there is a significant drop before Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United (52%); Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea (50%) and Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool (45%). We can also use Comparisonator’s Virtual Transfer tool to correlate Diomande’s statistics from the Scottish Premiership in 2024/25 with those playing in his position in the Premier League.
With more shots than any of his peers from the English top flight (an average of 1.69 per 90 minutes), ahead of Premier League leader Mateo Kovacic of Manchester City (1.52) he likes to pop the question. However, when it comes to hitting the target, his 0.31 shots on target would place him 11th with his figure just over half of Brentford’s Christian Norgaard in top spot on 0.6.
Shots in 2024/25 by Mohamed Diomande of Rangers compared to Premier League players in his position
Shots in 2024/25 by Mohamed Diomande of Rangers compared to Premier League players in his position
Diomande’s expected goals (xG) comes in at 0.12 which would place him eighth in the Premier League, with leader Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United on 0.19. He would be seventh for assists on 0.13, a category where Arsenal’s Declan Rice is on top spot on 0.25.
Playing for one of the Old Firm seems to negate significant defensive numbers as Diomande’s 2.88 interceptions per 90 minutes would have him way down in 34th for a section where the top three is Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City (5.56); Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool (4.71) and Norgaard (4.68). When it comes to successful passes, his average of 38.56 would place him 14th behind leader Kovacic on 54.34 while Diomande creeps into the top 10 for key passes (0.31), the same as ninth placed Gravenberch with Fernandez in first place on 0.75.
The road from Ibrox to Goodison Park was a well-trodden path over the years with Glaswegian Moyes himself snapping up Nikica Jelavic and Steven Naismith from Rangers during his first spell as Everton manager, but could Diomande make the step up as the club head into a new era at Hill Dickinson Stadium? His compatriots have struggled to set the world alight during their spells at the Blues with previous Ivorians being Ibrahima Bakayoko, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Lacina Traore and Arouna Kone with the latter being the only one who could be considered any kind of success, and even then his time on Merseyside was a mixed bag.
*Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world which compares players and clubs by utilising over 100 different parameters. Click here for more details.