Ousmane Diomande looks like being the first Nottingham Forest signing of the Oliver Glasner era.
The Ivory Coast international might have been swayed to make a move to the City Ground by international teammate Ibrahim Sangare, whom he played with at the World Cup.
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Diomande is set to sign a five-year deal at Forest, and talks continue between Forest and Sporting CP over a fee that works for all parties.
Diomande has a strong track record when he’s played alongside Sangare, and it’s also intriguing to see how he has previously performed in a 3-4-3 system often deployed by Glasner.
How Ousmane Diomande performed under Ruben Amorim
It would appear as though Diomande is well-versed when it comes to playing in a 3-4-3 system and seems to like playing alongside two other central defenders.
During his time at Sporting, playing under Ruben Amorim – before he got the Manchester United job – he looked comfortable in Portugal and was part of a very successful team.
Amorim proved one-dimensional at United, and ultimately he couldn’t live up to the expectations of managing such a reputable football club.
However, his time at Sporting CP was brilliant, and Diomande clearly liked playing under the head coach in the system he deployed.
In 69 appearances for Sporting under his tutelage, he only lost nine of those as the team won two league titles.
Just three defeats came in the league during that period, and clearly Diomande loved playing in a 3-4-3 system.
Naturally, at Forest he will come up against better forwards and better opposing teams in general.
However, this is very positive from a Forest perspective and highlights exactly why Glasner has courted him for so long.
Where would Nottingham Forest finish in the Premier League with a back three of Murillo, Diomande and Milenkovic?
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Diomande can be a game-changing Forest signing
Although Murillo has signed a new long-term contract, it would be no surprise to see him become the next Forest star to leave for big money.
With that in mind, Forest are getting a defender who strengthens the rearguard way in advance of any possible Murillo departure, with the Brazilian set to stay on Trentside for 2026/27.
Diomande will likely play on the right of the back three in the short term, but in the future, Forest look to have got themselves a player capable of replacing Murillo when the time is right.
This feels like very sensible business from Forest and further highlights how much good business the club has done since coming back to the Premier League.
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