The Diagouraga Saga: News and Analysis
- essentialbrentford
- Jan 22, 2016
- 3 min read
Fan favourite Toumani Diagouraga looks set for a move to Elland Road in the coming hours. The midfielder is one of the longest serving players at Brentford, and joined in the same transfer window as Marcel Eger, Nicky Adams and Pim Balkestein.
Dave (or "Toums", as he prefers) has become something of a Bees legend. Having been loaned out to Portsmouth towards the end of the 2013/14 season, it looked as if Toumani would never again pull on the white and red jersey. However, he asked to stay at the club and the rest is history. He came into his own in the holding midfield role in the Championship, and his rejuvenation saw him awarded with Fans' Player of the Year.
Last Summer, Brentford rejected a bid from Fulham for the midfielder. This January, Diagouraga has been the subject of interest from Rangers and Leeds. Here is how the saga has played out thus far:
Thursday, 7th January (3.58pm): CONFIRMED - Mark Warburton's Rangers submit a bid of around £100K for Toumani Diagouraga.
Friday, 8th January (12.01pm): RUMOUR - Rangers prepare to make a second bid for Diagouraga. The fee is allegedly in the region of £500K, with one Scottish newspaper suggesting that the deal is nearly wrapped up.
Friday, 8th January (2.53pm): RUMOUR - Reports emerge that Diagouraga is keen on a move to Rangers. He has worked with Mark Warburton before at Watford, as well as Brentford. Some even suggest that the midfielder is unhappy with the current situation at Griffin Park.
Monday, 11th January (11.51am): CONFIRMED - Rangers are told that they will have to pay £1m plus add-ons if they wish to secure the signing of Toumani Diagouraga. Rangers' first bid was in the region of £100K.
Monday, 11th January (12.49pm): RUMOUR - Reports emerge suggesting that Diagouraga has submitted a formal transfer request. The midfielder is allegedly keen to link up with Mark Warburton at Rangers.
Friday, 22nd January (9.20am): CONFIRMED - Leeds United have an offer accepted for Rangers target Toumani Diagouraga.
Friday, 22nd January (4.36pm): RUMOUR - As the club prepare to release a statement detailing Diagouraga's transfer to Leeds, rumours suggest that the fee agreed between the two clubs is around £900K.
Diagouraga has struggled to display the same form that he reached last season. His performances have seemed a bit off at times, and despite the fact that he has been a great servant to the club, now seems like the right time to sell him. The full reasons for doing so can be found in our recent "Business of Football" article, which can be found here:
http://www.essentialbrentford.com/#!The-Business-of-Football-Why-Brentford-Should-Sell/ccrb/569a21d50cf263fc5a8f8cf5
In terms of replacing the Frenchman, Josh McEachran seems like the immediate short-term solution. The ex-Chelsea midfielder, who of course has a Champions League appearance under his belt, has had a few run-outs so far. However, it is too early to judge his as he has only just returned from injury, and is probably still adapting to life back in England after a lengthy spell at Vitesse.
Brentford are still yet to make any signings this transfer window (bar one development squad capture), and are looking to add a couple of players in the coming days. Whether a deep-lying midfielder is one of these remains to be seen, but the imminent return of Lewis MacLeod will certainly act as a boost for the side.
Diagouraga has had a lively Brentford career. His notable moments include being the first Bees player to get sent off at the new Wembley (against Carlisle in the JP Trophy final back in 2011), winning "that" penalty against Doncaster by nodding the ball into a Rovers' player hand, and of course the unbelievable tekkers he shows every week.
Whether it be an outside of the knee pass, or a tidy piece of skill with his feet, Diagouraga has certainly inducted a fair amount of flair into his game. He will be sorely missed at Griffin Park, and we wish him well at his new home of Elland Road.
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