'It's clear he's a talent' - Rangers transfer target endorsed by ex Scottish football supremo

Mark Wotte has tipped Rangers target Hamza Igamane to hit the ground running in Scottish football if he completes his move to Ibrox. The Gers are said to be closing in on a £1.7million deal for the forward who currently plays for AS FAR Rabat.

The forward has scored 16 goals across the last two seasons and has attracted interest from a number of sides as he prepares to head to Paris for the Olympic games with Morocco’s under-23s this summer. Rangers are favourites to wrap up a deal, and former Scottish FA performance director Wotte, who also spent time working in Morocco, believes 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 young talent but most of them look to move abroad as soon as they get the chance. Hamza was a little younger when I was there so I wasn’t too aware of him but there is a lot of talk 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. Most of those players play for clubs outside Morocco and it will be good for Hamza’s development to perform at a big club like Rangers. It’s not an easy move to make. It’s a very different style of football than he is used to, it can be fast and furious. But Hamza is young and will be keen to learn. It’s an exciting move for him.