The £4m star has never played at left-back for Rangers, now he could replace Meghoma
Glasgow Rangers were hit hard last month when Tuur Rommens suffered a hamstring injury which forced him to miss a game.
The Belgian defender last featured in the Light Blues’ 4-1 win over Aberdeen before the international break in March, having missed the games against Dundee United and Falkirk.
Danny Rohl signed the defender from Westerlo for £3m in the January transfer window to strengthen his options at the back, and he hit the ground running at Ibrox.
Rommens attracted attention with his play at the back, scoring one goal and creating four ‘big chances’ in the Scottish Premiership, his place was taken by Jayden Meghoma in the last few games.
Unfortunately, the on-loan Brentford left-back didn’t do a great job in the wins over Dundee United and Falkirk.
Why Jayden Meghoma must be dropped by Rangers
The young England international should be dropped from the starting line-up after struggling in the last two games after coming on for Rommens through injury.
Against Dundee United, Meghoma lost six of his nine duels and registered only 0.03 expected assists (xA) going the other way, showing that he was weak defensively and lacked quality in his last ball.
In the 6-3 win over Falkirk, the defender missed a tackle in the box which led to Ben Broggio scoring the opener, and could see red another day for a high challenge in the middle of the park as a last man.
Meghoma, unfortunately, has not shown enough quality on or off the ball to suggest he is the answer for Rangers at left back and Rommens is out with an injury, which is why he should be left out of the squad.
Apart from the Belgian star, however, the Light Blues head coach has no other senior left-back to name in the squad to face Motherwell later this month.
How Danny Rohl can replace Jayden Meghoma
Rohl doesn’t need to field a natural left-back to replace Meghoma in the starting line-up if Rommens isn’t available to face Motherwell, however, as he could be creative and free up the star in a new role.
Mohamed Diomande came into midfield for the final five minutes of Sunday’s 6-3 win over Falkirk, after coming on as an unused substitute in three of the last four Premiership games.
The £4m signing fell short of his preference as Tochi Chukwuani, Nicolas Raskin, and Connor Barron did too much in Rohl’s eyes to get more minutes on the pitch.
Diomande endured a frustrating season at Ibrox as his form dipped after a brilliant 2024/25 campaign under Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson, in which he scored four goals and provided seven assists in the Premiership.
|
Diomande (Prime Minister) |
24/25 |
25/26 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearance |
36 |
26 |
|
Goals |
4 |
1 |
|
Great opportunities have been created |
11 |
2 |
|
It helps |
7 |
3 |
|
Duel success rate |
55.1% |
49.7% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
47.7% |
43.5% |
|
Coping + meeting |
63 |
49 |
The left-footed star showed his quality in and out of league action last season for the Gers, winning the majority of his duels while providing goals and assists in midfield.
It hasn’t worked out for Diomande, who was described as an “infuriating” acquisition by content creator Michael McEwan, so far this season, which is why he has struggled in recent minutes, but Rohl could revive the Rangers midfielder’s career by freeing him in a new role at left back.
The 24-year-old has started two games at left-back, but has never played for Rangers, and it would be interesting to get out of that role ahead of Meghoma, as he has experience in the Premiership, is naturally left-footed, and has great power and intensity at his best.
If Rohl can get Diomande to his best, the Ivorian could be an excellent left-back for Rangers thanks to his dominance in duels, his good technical ability under pressure, and his good engine.
However, there is also the possibility that his struggles in midfield this campaign will extend to left-back. That’s a risk worth taking, however, given Meghoma’s inexperience and struggles at left-back in recent games.
So, Rohl has to innovate and release Diomande in a new role to get Meghoma out of the team against Motherwell, as long as Rommens is not available.
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