How good is Ousmane Diomande? The defender set to break Crystal Palace's transfer record

Set to sign? 

The unrivalled spending power of the Premier League is beyond doubt in European football. Not only has the English top-flight already surpassed €1 billion in spending in this summer off-season, but even the division’s mid-table clubs are capable of dropping remarkable sums of money on some of the continent’s most exciting talents. One such example is Crystal Palace’s pursuit of Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande. 

According to local media in Portugal, the young talent is the subject of a €55m offer from the London club and is widely expected to make the move to England in the coming weeks. Such a move would break Palace’s current transfer record, which currently stands at €31.2m paid for Christian Benteke in 2016. So how good is Diomande and is he ready to live up to the hype that will undoubtedly come with being Palace’s record signing in the Premier League next season?

How well has Ousmane Diomande done this season?

Diomande was a more or less ever-present part of Sporting’s team this season, missing just three league games with an ankle sprain, a two suspensions, as the Lisbon club clinched their 21st league title. The 21-year-old talent also impressed in the Champions League with Sporting, as the club navigated past the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal to get to the first knock-out round. Again, Diomande was a regular starter for Rui Borges’ side, missing just one game through injury. 

“Without a doubt he's improved a lot this season,” said Gonçalo Tristão Santos, Transfermarkt’s Portuguese football expert, when asked about Diomande’s progression in the last 12 months. “He's looking more and more assured and brings increasing stability to Sporting's defence. He still has a few weaknesses, but he's clearly evolving in almost every aspect.” To no great surprise, that has seen the young defender’s market value rise to €45m - making him the fourth most valuable player in the Liga Portugal and the most valuable player from the Ivory Coast. 

What are Ousmane Diomande’s main attributes? 

Played primarily as the centre of right-sided central defender in a back three for Sporting, Diomande has gone from strength to strength in the Portuguese top-flight and is showing all the attributes one would associated with a top-class defender in the making. “In my opinion, Diomande is a fast centre-back with good anticipation skills, which is very useful for him when he's not well positioned, something that still happens from time to time, but it's normal, as we're talking about a 21-year-old. And as you said, he's also strong in the air and with his head,” said Santos. Which will undoubtedly be music to the ears of Palace fans, who fear the prospect of losing star defender Marc Guéhi to bigger clubs in the Premier League this summer. 

Is Ousmane Diomande ready to play in the Premier League?

However, while Diomande has clearly thrived in Portugal, making the step up to the Premier League and even replacing a player like Guéhi at Palace is a tall order indeed. But Santos believes the young defender may be making the right move to Selhurst Park first, rather than going straight to one of England or Europe’s bigger clubs. “It's hard to say whether he's already ready to play at the highest level in the Premier League,” noted the Liga Portugal expert. “He has a lot of quality and potential, but he's still young. I believe he could stay in Portugal for another year or two before moving to England but if he does leave this summer he has everything it takes to adapt, even if it takes some time for him to show all of his qualities.” He added: “Of course I can also imagine Diomande playing for a top club but Crystal Palace could be a good way to get into a major league like the Premier League. It could be a good move for him.”