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Who is Oliver Glasner's Nottingham Forest Target Ousmane Diomande
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- Who is Oliver Glasner's Nottingham Forest Target Ousmane Diomande
It has been a long time coming, but it looks like Oliver Glasner is finally going to get his man, as Nottingham Forest advance in talks to sign Ousmane Diomande from Sporting.
The Ivorian central defender was high on Glasner's wishlist at Selhurst Park, with the Eagles' interest in him dating back over a year.
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A tsunami of excitement has emerged after the confirmation of Forest's interest in Diomande, and with good reason.
His age, ability and presence make it no surprise that some of Europe's top clubs have shown interest in him in recent windows.
The perfect piece to the puzzle
It is well reported that Forest want to sign a central defender as a priority, following Glasner's appointment as head coach.
The Austrian is renowned for his 3-4-2-1 system, which he has already deployed in Forest's first pre-season outing, a 2-0 win at Notts County on Saturday.
Speaking on Saturday ahead of Forest's warm-weather training camp in Portugal, which began yesterday. Glasner revealed hopes that two new faces would join the squad for the camp.
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"We expect one or two new players as well," he confirmed pitchside following the match.
Who is Diomande and why is he the perfect man to kickstart Glasner's Nottingham Forest tenure?
Diomande stands tall at six-foot-three, a height he utilises with his excellent aerial presence.
But aerial presence is not why Diomande is an essential profile for a Glasner system and, crucially, Forest already have aerial presence courtesy of Nikola Milenkovic.
What Diomande brings to Forest, which is otherwise lacking, is his immense ball-playing ability.
When you operate in a three-at-the-back system, you lose a midfielder, and it is crucial that you are able to make up for that in defence, to allow for seamless transition from defence to attack.
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With Diomande being right-footed, he can slot in perfectly alongside Milenkovic and the left-footed Murillo, giving the club a formidable trio at the back.
Diomande signed a new three-year deal with Sporting in December, and the reported fee being discussed for his Forest move falls some £38 million short of his release clause, showing excellent value for the Reds.
Youth an asset, not a liability
Though he may be just 22 years old, you would not know that by watching Diomande play, making his age an asset to Forest.
His value, and ability, will only rise as he progresses, but in the meantime, he is already in a great position to elevate the Reds' squad during a transformative summer window.
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Speaking to Sporting club media last year, Diomande revealed the veteran players who he credits with mentoring him, giving him a calmness which he values.
"At the beginning, Sebastian [ Coates ] was always giving me advice," Diomande revealed.
"Even though I was already looking at him, of course, because I knew that he is top. As a defender, he is really important for the team, so of course I was learning.
"Also [Luis] Neto was giving me a lot of advice. I think I also learned a lot of things. They are very calm, and I think that was important for me."
At 22 years old, Diomande has played 18 Champions League matches, a World Cup and has earned 16 international caps for Côte d'Ivoire, often alongside Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangare.
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Backing Oliver Glasner
In Nuno Espirito Santo's final weeks at Forest, a row over the decision not to sign his former player, Adama Traore, exacerbated tensions before he was ultimately sacked just three games into the season.
Forest appear to have learnt from that mistake, with both of Forest's expected early acquisitions key targets spearheaded by Glasner.
Alongside Diomande, Forest are expected to sign free agent midfielder Xaver Schlager , who played under his compatriot Glasner at Wolfsburg .
John Percy has reported that there is hope the duo will both sign before the end of Forest's warm-weather training camp in Portugal, with Schlager flying out for a medical on Wednesday.
Though fans had voiced some frustrations over perceived slowness in the market, the club are now acting both diligently and efficiently to cater to their squad and head coach's needs.
