Toumani Diagouraga was linked with a move to Rangers in January.
Leeds United’s Toumani Diagouraga comes on as a substitute
Rangers have suspended midfielder Joey Barton for three weeks, with many now believing that his Ibrox career is already over before it has even really started.
The 34-year-old midfielder had helped Burnley win promotion the Premier League last season, but surprisingly chose to leave Turf Moor in order to pen a two-year deal with Rangers.
Seen as the man to bring a veteran presence to the Rangers midfield, Barton struggled in his eight appearances for the Gers’ first-team, and his famous controversial antics have now got him into trouble again.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton with’ Joey Barton
A training ground row with team-mate Andy Halliday and later on manager Mark Warburton means that Barton has been frozen out at Ibrox, with his Rangers future put in major doubt having been suspended for three weeks.
With Barton now expected to leave Rangers during the transfer window, manager Warburton may well be looking for a replacement to play in defensive midfield – and one name stands out from the pack.
During the January transfer window, Rangers made a major move to sign midfielder Toumani Diagouraga, with BBC reporting that Brentford rejected a bid from the Gers before selling Diagouraga to Leeds United instead.
Middlesbrough’s Gaston Ramirez in action with Leeds’ Toumani Diagouraga
Diagouraga may have been a key player under Steve Evans for Leeds during the second half of last season, but he is now out of favour under Garry Monk, and HITC understands that Leeds wanted to get the Frenchman off their books before last month’s transfer deadline – but ultimately failed.
At the time, Rangers didn’t need to make a move for Diagouraga given that Barton was in the picture, but the powerful Frenchman offers an alternative during the January window, and he may well be keen on a move to Glasgow.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
As reported by Get West London in January, Diagouraga told Brentford that he wanted to leave in order to reunite with Warburton, having worked together at both Watford and Brentford in the past.
With no future at Leeds, Diagouraga may be more keen than ever to make the move to Rangers, and he would add power and urgency to Warburton’s midfield; attributes that Barton was struggling to provide.
The 29-year-old should be available on the cheap, and if Warburton feels he needs a direct replacement for Barton in front of the back four, then Diagouraga should be on his radar again.
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