If Rangers had any lingering interest in bringing in a player who ended last season as a champion in one of Europe’s major leagues, they went up in smoke on Wednesday.
There was a time, around late last year, that Rangers‘ pursuit of the 19-year-old midfielder felt increasingly likely to end in a deal being struck.
According to TEAMtalk, the Glasgow giants were very much in the mix for Noah Mbamba. A Belgium Under 21 international who, it just happened, worked with Ibrox boss Philippe Clement back home at Club Brugge.
It was Clement, by the way, who handed Mbamba his senior debut at the age of just 16. He even featured against none other than Manchester City in the Champions League at a time where most of his peers would have been turning their attention to their college choices.
“He shows a lot in training every day,” Clement said three years back.
“He has worked a lot, but be careful. The road is still long. I will do with him as with Charles De Ketelaere (who eventually joined AC Milan for £30 million). Let him grow and give him playing time without asking too much of him. He must grow step by step.”
Noah Mbamba will not be joining Rangers
With first-team opportunities limited at Leverkusen, joining Rangers and reuniting with a coach who knew him well felt like a pretty sensible next step. That was, however, until Rangers opted to bring in Mohammed Diomande from Nordsjaelland instead that following January.
The Glasgow giants are now expected to land the out-of-contract Connor Barron too.
And, with those Mbamba links going quiet, Bundesliga newcomers Fortuna Dusseldorf have jumped at the chance to bring the teenager over to North Rhine-Westphalia for the 2024/25 campaign.
Mbamba, who featured only three times during Leverkusen’s Bundesliga-winning campaign under Xabi Alonso, joins Fortuna on loan for the upcoming campaign.
“A young player with enormous potential,” is how Klaus Allofs, Board Member for Sport and Communication, describes Fortuna’s new signing via the official website. “We are sure that he can develop excellently in our environment and will quickly strengthen our team.
“Even though we do not have an option to buy, we had to take the opportunity to loan a player with this talent.”
Bayer Leverkusen starlet leaves on loan
It may come as a surprise to some that Rangers have not returned for Mbamba. Especially with John Lundstram and Ryan Jack departing. But with Diomande proving himself worthy of a permanent move to Ibrox and Barron arriving with a proven track record in the Scottish game, perhaps a 19-year-old who barely kicked a ball in senior, competitive football in 2023/24 was deemed too much of a risk by comparison.
Fortuna, in contrast, obviously felt that the potential rewards offset those concerns.
“With Noah, we are signing a player who can be used in a variety of positions in the centre and who brings an excellent mix of physique and footballing quality,” adds Christian Weber, Fortuna’s sporting director.
“Due to the high level of performance in Leverkusen, he has only been used sporadically recently. However, he has already proven his talent at the highest level at a young age and should now take the next step in his development with regular match practice with us.”
Alongside Barron, Rangers are also closing in on former Motherwell goalkeeper Liam Kelly. A striker is also expected to arrive with Rapid Bucharest’s Albion Rrahmani and the more affordable Hamza Igamame of RAF Rabat under consideration.
