'I was convinced': Star admits he chose Rangers move over Qatar move thanks to Philippe Clement
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Rangers’ recruitment, across recent seasons, has often left a lot to be desired with more misses than hits at the Scottish Premiership giants.
But the £1.7 million deal Rangers pulled off – to some surprise – during the summer of 2023 may yet go down as one of the most inspired pieces of business in modern history.
Philippe Clement was wary of throwing Hamza Igamane in at the deep end. But as the Morocco Under 23 international chucked away his armbands and perfected his breaststroke quicker than anyone had expected, Igamane has become all-but undroppable following a brief but brilliant spell in which the hitherto little-known striker became a household name on the blue side of Glasgow.
Rangers’ number 29 announced himself against Nice in the Europa League with a devastating brace in a 4-1 away win. Hamza Igamane then scored sensational long-range goals against both Kilmarnock and Ross County.
And, as Igamane opened the scoring against Tottenham Hotspur last week, it’s fair to say rapid emergence from promising back-up to talismanic number nine has been nothing short of staggering.
To think, Rangers could have missed out, too, on a player for whom expectations were relatively small following only seven goals at RAF Rabat in 2023/24.
- READ MORE:Rangers Transfer History 2016-Present
Hamza Igamane chose Rangers over Qatari outfit Al-Gharafa
Igamane, speaking to Al Omq, admits that he chose Scotland over Qatar. Al-Gharafa tried to lure him to the Middle East alongside former Porto playmaker Yacine Brahimi and Real Madrid cult hero Joselu.
“I received many offers, in addition to the offers from Al-Gharafa and Rangers,” the 22-year-old explains. “I took a long time to think about it so that I would not regret it later. Especially since I am at the beginning of my football career and there is no room for error.”
Igamane explains that discussions with Clement, and Rangers’ remarkable collection of silverware over the years, was enough to blow Al-Gharafa out of the water.
“After [the offers arrived], I spoke with my current team’s coach,” Igamane recalls. “And, in addition to the team’s long history full of titles, I was convinced by his project and saw that I would be an important part of it.
“I rule out the idea of playing professionally in the Gulf, and I do not wish to move there at the present time. My goal is to build a professional football career that will contribute to enhancing my chances of representing the Moroccan national team.”
He’s certainly moving in the right direction, as far as achieving those international ambitions are concerned.
According to reports, Hamza Igamane will earn his first Morocco call-up in March. Atlas Lions boss Walid Regragui, who guided Morocco to the semi-finals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, has seemingly been impressed enough to install Igamane as competition for £17 million Fenerbahce frontman Youssef En-Nesyri going forward.
For Rangers, meanwhile, the challenge will be to keep Igamane at Ibrox for the long-haul.
TBR Football can confirm that Premier League outfit Everton are scouting Igamane only a few months after he arrived on Scottish soil.
Philippe Clement delighted by Hamza Igamane’s Ibrox impact
"Yeah, he's a bright light. What we hoped he would be,” Clement said after Igamane produced a genuine Goal of the Season contender as Rangers beat Ross County 3-0 in Dingwall.
“[When] buying him, we saw the potential. But you can never know how fast they will adapt to a totally different culture, lifestyle, football at a higher level. But he is taking really, really good steps and he has been important for the team in the last couple of weeks."
"I don't like the word 'talisman' because it means, if he's not playing, we cannot win games," Clement adds. "We don't want to create a team like that because then it becomes easier for opponents.
"We need this competition and you see everybody's pushing each other in that way. Hamza scored goals now in the last weeks, Danny [Danilo] scored goals, Cyriel [Dessers] scored goals, and that's what you need to be a top team playing every three days in four competitions.
"You need this competition. Everybody standing up in the moments that they are playing. You see a really good team spirit already from the beginning of the season. We get some knocks because we needed some time to gel everything together, but you see the team grow.
"And I feel it also from the fans today, that they start to understand that."
