It’s clear he’s a talent’ – Rangers transfer target endorsed by ex Scottish football supremo

‘It’s clear he’s a talent’ – Rangers transfer target endorsed by ex Scottish football supremo

A putative Rangers target has been tipped to prosper in Scottish football following a successful upbringing elsewhere. Mark Wotte believes Rangers target Hamza Igamane will have an immediate impact in Scottish football if he completes his move to Ibrox. The Gers are reportedly closing in on a £1.7 million deal for the forward, who presently plays for AS FAR Rabat.

The attacker has 16 goals in the last two seasons and is attracting interest from a number of clubs as he prepares to represent Morocco’s under-23s in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Rangers are favorites to close a deal, and former Scottish FA performance director Wotte, who has also worked in Morocco, feels Igamane’s upbringing in North Africa will help him transition to a move to Scotland.

“The young players in Morocco are very instinctive in the way they play,” he told the Daily Record. “There is a lot of youthful talent, but most of them want to migrate abroad as soon as they have the opportunity. Hamza was a little younger when I went there, so I wasn’t particularly familiar with him, but there’s a lot of buzz about him.

“He’s playing at a good club as they have been strong in the last couple of seasons. Hamza has also been part of the Under-23s and Olympic team so it’s clear he has talent – and a lot of potential. The big thing for him will be adapting to Scottish football. It’s an entirely different environment. I’d say the Moroccan top division is perhaps on the same level as the Premiership’s bottom six. Some big teams play in front of large, passionate crowds and smaller clubs who maybe have 1000 fans each week. It will be a step up playing at Ibrox in front of 60,000.

“There is clearly a lot of talent in the country. Look at the team that got to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar. A lot of that side were with me in the Under-23s and it was incredible seeing them step up on that stage.

The majority of those players play for clubs outside of Morocco, and Hamza’s growth will benefit from playing for a large club such as Rangers. It is not an easy decision to make. It’s a very different kind of football from what he’s used to; it can be fast and fierce. But Hamza is young and eager to learn. This is a wonderful move for him.

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