Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin will have been delighted that his side picked up their first win of the Scottish Premiership season last weekend.
The Gers had failed to win any of their opening five matches in the division, their worst start to a league campaign in 47 years, but picked up a last-gasp winner on Sunday thanks to Max Aarons.
His excellent finish, as shown in the clip above, won the match for the Ibrox giants after they found themselves drawing 1-1 heading into stoppage time.
It was Aarons’ first minutes on the pitch for Rangers since he was shown a straight red card against Club Brugge in the 6-0 loss in Belgium back in August, and what a return to action it was for the full-back.
Whilst the Bournemouth loanee was finally brought back into the fold after being an unused substitute for three successive matches, there was another player who was suffering a similar fate on the bench.
Mohamed Diomande was an unused substitute against Livingston after he was shown a straight red card in the 1-0 defeat to Genk in the Europa League at Ibrox last week.
Why Mohamed Diomande was rightfully dropped
Even taking the red card out of the equation, the Ivorian midfielder was rightfully dropped from the starting line-up for that Premiership clash because his performances in the league have not been up to scratch this season.
The left-footed star may have been punished against Livingston because of his red card in Europe, but his league form overall this season warranted him being left out of the side regardless of what happened against Genk.
Diomande had caught the eye in the Premiership last season with a return of four goals and seven assists, per Sofascore, which led to a bid from Besiktas in the summer transfer window.
The central midfielder put in impressive performances on a consistent basis, delivering quality in the final third, which is why he had interest from elsewhere.
Unfortunately, Diomande’s form since Martin came through the door at Ibrox has nosedived to the point where it was justified to leave him out on Sunday.
Appearances
36
5
Sofascore rating
7.19
6.38
Goals
4
0
Assists
7
0
Dribbled past per game
0.5x
0.6
Ground duel success rate
57%
49%
Aerial duel success rate
48%
17%
As you can see in the table above, the Ivorian lightweight has been dominated in duels on the deck and in the air in the Premiership this season, without making up for it with any goals or assists for the team.
Given his dismal start to the season in the Premiership and in the Europa League, Diomande should now be worried that the club are reportedly looking at a free agent midfielder.
Rangers considering free agent swoop
According to journalist Mark Hendry, via his Substack, Glasgow Rangers have been offered the chance to sign free agent central midfielder Pierre Ekwah after his exit from Saint-Etienne.
The former West Ham United and Sunderland midfield whiz ripped up his contract with the Ligue 2 club on deadline day at the start of September, which means that he is now free to discuss a move elsewhere and can be registered before the January window.
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Hendry’s report adds that Ekwah has been offered to both Celtic and Rangers in a bid to find a new club after his ext from the French team, but it remains to be seen whether either of the Scottish giants are willing to take a punt on him.
The Gers are considering whether or not to make a move for the midfield star, but they were linked with a move for the Frenchman towards the end of the summer transfer window.
This suggests that the recruitment team at Ibrox and Martin are well aware of the 23-year-old and his talents, which is why they should push to get a deal done for him as a free agent in the coming days or weeks.
Why Rangers should sign Pierre Ekwah
The Ibrox giants should swoop to sign Ekwah ahead of Celtic to bolster their options in the middle of the park because he could come in as an immediate and instant upgrade on Diomande.
As aforementioned, the Rangers central midfielder’s levels have dropped off this season, which has left a gap to fill in midfield for Martin because the Ivorian was such an important player for Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson in the 2024/25 campaign.
Ekwah’s performances in Ligue 1, one of Europe’s major leagues, last season suggest that he has the quality to come in and hit the ground running as a key player for the Gers if he is fit and ready to go.
The left-footed central midfielder left Saint-Etienne after they were relegated to Ligue 2, but his displays in their relegation campaign showed that he was good enough to play at the top level.
Tackles
57
Top 17%
Duels won
145
Top 11%
Duel success rate
57%
Top 14%
Aerial duel success rate
71%
Top 7%
Interceptions
47
Top 3%
Blocks
12
Top 6%
Ball recoveries
157
Top 8%
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old star was one of the most effective defensive midfielders in Ligue 1, as he ranked very highly among his positional peers in a host of statistics.
Ekwah, who former manager Tony Mowbray claimed could do “amazing” things with his feet, is a powerful and combative central midfielder who has shown that he can compete physically in a major European league, whilst Diomande has struggled badly with the physicality in the Premiership this season.
Along with his defensive attributes, the former Saint-Etienne star also completed 88% of his passes in Ligue 1 last season, per Sofascore, whilst Diomande has completed 84% of his attempted passes in the Premiership this term.
Therefore, Rangers and Martin could land an instant upgrade on the struggling Ivorian midfielder by swooping to sign a free agent star who excelled in Ligue 1 in the 2024/25 campaign.