Ousmane Diomande had a mixed 2023/24 season. He started off the campaign well but had a difficult Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and then struggled at times for Sporting on his return.
Rúben Amorim has got the 20-year-old back into top form this season, with the central defender appearing in seven out of eight of Sporting’s Liga Portugal games. They’ve won every single match, and the only one Diomande missed was due to an ankle sprain. The youngster has been playing in the middle of a back three, and the team has conceded just two goals across all their league games.
Arsenal are now being linked with Diomande again, and given his form so far this season those links look far more realistic than they would have done at the end of the last campaign.
Friday’s edition of Record reports the defender has recently received an automatic increase in his salary to €1m, due to the number of games and minutes he’s played.
The Portuguese newspaper states Arsenal are the club following him the most closely, with no other club named in the report.
Mikel Arteta’s side are seen as a ‘shark’, attentive to the player’s progress and prepared to swoop should they so desire. It’s these ‘sharks’ Sporting want to keep at a distance.
That’s not to say they’d rule out a sale. Diomande has an €80m release clause, and there’s almost certainly room for negotiation there. Key could be Rúben Amorim’s future.
The manager now has Diomande as the centre of his defence after 34-year-old Sebastián Coates returned to boyhood club Nacional in Uruguay.
Should Amorim leave next summer, with the manager being linked with a move to the Premier League, then signing Diomande would likely be easier.
William Saliba has this week been linked with Real Madrid, and although those links were weak, it’s wise for Arsenal to be on the lookout for young defensive talent.
A situation to keep an eye on, as the Gunners reportedly are.
