Why Rangers target could be the next Emmanuel Fernandez

Glasgow Rangers hit the jackpot in the summer of 2025 when they swooped to sign central defender Emmanuel Fernandez for a fee of £3.5m.

Russell Martin and Kevin Thelwell, who have both since been sacked by the Light Blues, brought the Nigerian star in from English League One side Peterborough United on a permanent deal.

However, Fernandez only started one league game during Martin’s tenure at the club, as he struggled for game time under the Scottish boss, and it was not until Danny Rohl took charge that he fully started to shine.

The young defender ended the 2025/26 campaign with six goals in 33 matches for the Scottish Premiership giants, including five goals in 27 appearances in the league.

His impressive performances at the back for the Ibrox side earned him a place in the SFA Team of the Year for the Premiership season, which speaks to what his peers thought of his displays.

Rangers pushing to sign new central defender

They brought the Nigeria international in as a young defender who had no experience at the top level, as he had only played in League One with Peterborouh, and offered him a platform to showcase his qualities in the Premiership and the Europa League.

Now, the Premiership giants are looking at a player who could arrive at Ibrox in the summer as their next version of Fernandez for Derek McInnes ahead of next season.

According to journalist Santi Aouna, Glasgow Rangers are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Troyes central defender Sankhoun Diawara in the summer transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Gers have already made the player an offer by presenting an ‘ambitious’ project to him, in the hope that he will decide to make a move to Ibrox.

Aouna adds that they are now pushing to secure a deal for the 20-year-old talent to bolster their defensive ranks after Derek Cornelius and Nasser Djiga returned to their parent clubs.

Swiss giants Basel are also in the race with the Scottish side to sign the French centre-back, but it remains to be seen how much money it will take to convince Troyes to part ways with him.

How Sankhoun Diawara can be the next Emmanuel Fernandez for Rangers

The Light Blues could repeat the blinder that they played with the signing of Fernandez by beating Basel to Diawara’s signature in the coming weeks, as he has shades of the Nigerian star.

Just like Fernandez, the Frenchman would arrive at Ibrox with no experience at the top level, as he has not played any top-flight football or in any European competitions.

The 20-year-old starlet made his first-team breakthrough for Troyes in the 2025/26 campaign and caught the eye with his impressive performances in Ligue 2.

Diawara dominates opposition attackers in the same way that the Rangers star does in physical duels, as he won the vast majority of his battles on the ground and in the air in the second tier of French football.

Whilst he has yet to score a goal in Ligue 2 through his aerial dominance, the Gers target did score five goals in 58 matches for their U19 and B teams combined.

His goalscoring record at youth level suggests that he does have the potential to use his aerial dominance to become a goal threat at senior level in the same way that Fernandez did for Rangers last season.

As a left-footed central defender, Diawara would also provide McInnes with some balance when playing out from the back, as the club do not have any naturally left-footed centre-backs in the first-team squad at this moment in time.

He can take the ball and open out and play down the left in one fluid move, rather than needing to control the ball on his weaker foot and attempt an awkward pass with his right foot out to the left, as some right-footed centre-backs do when they play on the left.

The 20-year-old talent, on paper, looks like an exciting target for the Scottish giants because he can mix physical dominance in duels with ball-playing qualities in possession, which is another reason why he is similar to Fernandez.

Therefore, the Gers must ensure that they win the race for his signature because he could be yet another excellent young centre-back who could develop at Ibrox.