It’s a deal that has captured the imagination. And not just amongst the Rangers supporters either.
The sight of one of the country’s most exciting young talents packing his bags and agreeing terms with a ‘massive club on the European stage’ like Philippe Clement’s outfit might just see the Scottish Premiership’s viewing figures skyrocket in Northern Africa next season.
Only 12 Morroccan footballers have ever graced the Premiership stage.
Hamza Igamane, then, will be hoping that he is not unlucky number 13. The RAF Rabat forward is expected to join Rangers on a five-year deal to the tune of around £2 million imminently, per the Scottish Sun.
Another example of Clement and Nils Koppen’s far-and-wide approach to recruitment.
Rangers close in on RAF Rabat striker Hamza Igamane
“Hamza going to Scotland has been big news in Morocco,” Merouanne Zemmama, one of the aforementioned Morroccan dozen, tells the Scottish Sun. “Many players from here go to France and Belgium. But going to Scotland has been very interesting here.
“Rangers are a massive club on the European stage. So it’s good for football here that a club like that has scouted one of our young players and signed him.”
Zemmama spent five years in Scotland, wearing the green of Hibernian from 2006 to 2011. He feels that his compatriot Igamane will leave a positive impression too, the 5ft 11ins forward possessing the broad-shouldered physicality required to cope with the hustle and brawny bustle of the local game.
“I believe Hamza will succeed in Scotland,” Zemmama adds. “He’s a player who is going to be ideal for the style of football. I genuinely think he will do well there.
“Hibs fans — the ones who are old enough — will recall I was a smaller player who tried to use skill. But Hamza is a big, strong guy who will be ready for the physical side of football that exists in Scotland. That won’t worry him at all.”
That does not mean Igamane is lacking in the ‘skill’ department. A blend of steel and silk, Igamane can not only hold off defenders with his back to goal but can also leave them gasping for air with a quick change of direction and his shimmying footwork.