Time will tell if Diallo can buck transfer trend

IN AUGUST 2020, Rangers shelled out £7.3million to sign Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten on the same day. In the three transfer windows since, you would struggle to name another new signing good enough to go straight into the starting eleven and enhance it. That Rangers don’t have money to burn on transfers is hardly a state secret. But how much any club spends is less important than how they spend it. And on that score the recent record is patchy. Juninho Bacuna was a low-cost punt, but lasted six months before heading for Birmingham. Midfielder John Lundstram is one of the biggest earners at the club and can’t get a game. Fashion Sakala has shown flashes of explosive ability, but struggles for consistency. Nnamdi Ofoborh, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a heart issue and has yet to make an appearance. James Sands? After five minutes in the door, it’s too soon to judge. And despite the natural excitement over the signing of Amad Diallo from Manchester United, Rangers supporters would be wise to temper their expectations. Even before Ianis Hagi’s season ended early, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was in the market for a right winger. The available evidence suggests Diallo is an explosive talent. His four appearances for Atalanta were enough to persuade Manchester United to pay £19m, rising to £37m after add-ons. An elevation like that doesn’t happen for players with average talent. Capped three times for the Ivory Coast, he scored his first goal last May and he has made nine first-team appearances over the last year. Between Atalanta and Manchester United, however, his total game time on the pitch amounts to a grand total of 390 minutes. Pitching the kid into the hostile atmosphere of an Old Firm game at Parkhead might be a terrific experience for him. Time will tell if a six-month loan works out half as well for Rangers.