Rangers to 'pave the way' for next Hamza Igamane with African partnership
Yesterday at 06:00 AM
Nils Koppen has led an overhaul of Rangers scouting and recruitment departments with an indication in recent weeks that things are heading in the right direction.
Players like Jefte, Mohamed Diomande and Hamza Igamane have come from markets that haven't been tapped into before and look like they could make the club money in the future.
Igamane has attracted interest from the Premier League already with former teammate Hatim Essaouabi said to be next on the technical director's shopping list.
Rangers eye AS FAR link up to find next Hamza Igamane
According to Kora Maroc, a Moroccan football news outlet, he might not be the last either:
"AS FAR and Rangers are set to sign a partnership that will pave the way for young talents from AS FAR's academy to make an earlier move to Europe," Kora Maroc posted on X.
"The deal will also see friendly matches scheduled between the two clubs, strengthening the ties between them."
"This partnership will be a huge step in the development of AS FAR's rising stars."
Shopping on a tight budget, it makes sense for Rangers to develop relationships with other clubs where there could be untapped talent.
Academy problem that Koppen can fix with overseas links
Rangers need more partnerships like this in Africa and South America, similar to the path that Diomande took from the Ivory Coast via Ghana to Denmark.
It shouldn't just be a one-way street either, clubs in the Premier League have sent players out on loan for years and B team regulars would benefit from playing competitive football away from Scotland.
If 3-4 players could all go to the same club, it would be more beneficial than playing in Scotland's lower leagues.
Koppen spoke about this initiative too with the ultimate aim of developing the pathway for academy players.
As seen in the Glasgow Cup win, how can they be expected to make the jump up to the first team if they aren't playing regular games.
Some of them looked like they hadn't played for months.
