According to a recent report by the Scottish Sun, Scottish Premiership giants Rangers are claimed to be lining up a summer move for the services of FC Metz defender Mamadou Fofana, as has been revealed by the player’s agent. Seku Traore went on to suggest that the player, who currently has two years left on his contract with the Ligue 1 side, is attracting interest from a variety of European teams. He also confirmed that Steven Gerrard’s Gers are following the defender’s progress.
As per the report, the player himself had conceded in an interview recently that he does have big ambitions, and that anything is possible in the future. The Malian international’s agent has left the door open for a move too, as he said, “Rangers are looking at Mamadou, but they are not alone. There are clubs in Russia interested, including Krasnodar, Dynamo Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow. We will decide this summer what is the best option for him.”
Scouting Rangers Target Mamadou Fofana
Born in the Malian capital city of Bamako, 22-year-old Mamadou Fofana is a central defender who currently plies his trade for FC Metz in the French first division. Standing at 1.86m tall, it’s no surprise that Fofana chose to become a defender, in that he tends to dominate the spaces in front of him during matches. Capable of covering large areas of the pitch with his sheer physical prowess, Fofana is a fairly orthodox type of defender, who isn’t afraid to lash the ball clear in pressure situations.
While it could be argued that the former Alanyaspor man isn’t the greatest defensive header of the ball, the Malian more than makes up for it with his strong reactions and excellent positioning. One of the Metz man’s biggest assets is the ability to read the opposition’s play and make timely tackles, and this is highlighted in the fact that Fofana can even play in midfield. Versatile enough to slot into one of the anchor roles, or even at right-back if required, Fofana boasts a balanced skill-set that would be useful in Gerrard’s title challenge next season.
The 22-year-old joined FC Metz from Alanyaspor back in the summer of 2018 and has since become a vital member of the squad. The defender played 32 times in the Ligue 2 last season as his side forced their way to promotion at the end of the campaign. Although the Malian’s displays weren’t all that bad this season either, he was dropped from being a regular in the side after the turn of the year. Having had a reduced involvement of just around 20 Ligue 1 matches this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the youngster force a move away in the summer.
Scouting Rangers Target Mamadou Fofana: Would He Fit In At Rangers?
The Malian talent has spent most of his career so far in Turkey and then France, meaning that it’s unlikely that he’ll immediately settle into life in the Premiership. The aggressive ‘body on the line’ nature of some of the players won’t be a feature of Fofana’s play, at least initially. With that said though, it must be conceded that the Metz man has the potential to develop into something special, and if Gerrard is looking for a new defender, then the Malian might just be a half-decent option.
