Mohamed Diomande knows the new £3.5million signing from way back when they came through the Right to Dream academy
12:00, 12 Jan 2026Updated 19:54, 12 Jan 2026
Mohamed Diomande believes pal Tochi Chukwuani is the next piece in Danny Rohl’s Rangers jigsaw.
The Ibrox midfielder is delighted that his old FC Nordsjaelland team-mate has joined Gers from Sturm Graz in a £3.5million deal. Diomande spent two years with him at the Danish club after coming through the Right to Dream academy in Ghana.
And the 24-year-old is convinced that Chukwuani can be a key player for Rohl in his quest to get Rangers back to the top of Scottish football. He also revealed he played middle man in the big transfer. The new boy could make his debut in the Scottish Cup fourth round tie with Annan at Ibrox on Friday night.
After Gers made it five wins on the spin with a 2-0 Premiership victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday – Diomande is confident his childhood friend can make an impact. And he revealed the Gers new boy has already been doing his homework by watching him in Scotland’s top flight.
When asked if Chukwuani’s attributes are perfect for the Scottish game, he said: “Yeah, I think so because he has experience now also. After his move from Denmark, he played in Austria and he’s played a lot in the European game.
“I’m happy that he’s here. In my opinion, he’s going to contribute all of his abilities and is going to help us get to where we want to go. I don’t think we have this kind of player because he’s more physical and he’s technically good under pressure. He’s been watching the Scottish game a lot because he’s been watching me as a friend. I think he already knows what I’m going to do.”
Chukwuani was probably always erring on the side of signing for Rangers. But for the Ibrox new boy, it was handy having his pal as a middle man in the deal. And one of his old team-mates, Diomande, has revealed he played his part in the move too.
Tochi Chukwuani paraded by Rangers(Image: )
When the 22-year-old heard of Rangers’ interest he immediately got in touch with Diomande. And the Ivory Coast international told him in no uncertain terms that he HAD to say yes to Rohl. Diomande has revealed why he believes he’ll be an excellent addition – and the role he had in making the move happen.
He said: “Tochi has been a close friend of mine since we were 14 or 15. I played with him in Denmark and he’s a good lad. Technically, he’s very good and he’s strong on the ball too. Did he speak to me for advice about coming here? Yeah, he spoke to me.
“And obviously I’m going to give him good advice because I know this is a massive club. I also know it’s the next step for him. This is what we all want to experience, to play at big clubs. I think he wanted to make the decision himself – but I told what was right.
“He can help us. He’s got ability and that’s what we need. We know we’re in a difficult moment right now with Bas (Connor Barron) injured. But I know that we can count on Tochi to bring what he has to bring for the team.”
Thelo Aasgaard scores to give Rangers the lead(Image: )
Rangers continued their terrific run of form under Rohl by seeing off the Dons for the second time in a week. Goals by Thelo Aasgaard and James Tavernier secured a vital three points, which took them back to second place in the Premiership table.
Diomande felt their display at Pittodrie was even better than their 2-0 victory at Ibrox five days previously. And in difficult circumstances due to adverse weather, he was delighted to leave the Granite City with a comprehensive win.
The midfielder said: “Sunday was a more complete achievement (than the Ibrox win). Obviously the conditions weren’t good for us to play in but we just did everything to get the three points and a clean sheet. That was the most important thing for us.”