Nottingham Forest Sign Ousmane Diomande for £34.3m
Nottingham Forest have made their move. After weeks of hard bargaining with Sporting, they have secured Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande on a four-year deal worth around £34.3m (€40m) – a signing that carries the clear fingerprints of head coach Oliver Glasner.
This is not a speculative punt on potential. It’s a manager getting the defender he has long wanted.
Glasner finally gets his man
Glasner pushed hard for Diomande at his former club Crystal Palace and never dropped the idea. Now, with Forest backing his judgement, he has the 22-year-old installed at the heart of his rebuild.
The fee reflects Forest’s conviction. Diomande arrives with a serious body of work behind him. Across four seasons at Sporting, he played 132 games, scored seven goals and collected two Primeira Liga titles. He helped the Lisbon club into the Champions League knockout stages and was a key part of their domestic double in the 2024/25 campaign.
This is a player used to pressure, trophies and big European nights. Forest are paying for that education.
A winner from Lisbon and Abidjan
Diomande’s rise has not been limited to club football. With Ivory Coast, he already owns one of African football’s biggest prizes. He was part of the squad that lifted the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, ending the country’s eight-year wait for the trophy, and has earned 15 caps so far.
He also featured at this summer’s World Cup, making one appearance on the biggest stage of all. For a 22-year-old defender, that is a serious résumé.
No surprise, then, that he walked into the City Ground speaking the language of ambition.
“I am very happy to be here. It is a historic club, and it motivates me to join such a club,” Diomande said after signing. “I believe we can achieve very good things this season and I am looking forward to meeting the players and head coach.
“I will give my best and all I can to help the team. I cannot wait to meet the supporters at the City Ground and together we can have a good season.”
Forest’s new defensive pillar
Inside the club, Diomande has been viewed as a priority profile rather than just another name on a list. Chief football officer George Syrianos underlined that sense of purpose.
“We have been very clear on the profile of player we want to add to the squad, so we are excited to welcome Ousmane to the club,” he said. “He has fantastic experience for a defender of his age. Playing a crucial role in title-winning teams and going into the latter stages of the Champions League puts him in a great position to integrate well here at Forest.
“Ousmane is a powerful, commanding defender, and arrives here with a winning mentality. He shares the same ambition for success we have, and we are excited to see the impact he can have in a Forest shirt.”
Powerful. Commanding. Winning mentality. Those are not casual compliments; they are a job description for a back line that has already lost the experience of Willy Boly, who has been released, and seen significant churn in the squad.
A summer of change at the City Ground
Diomande headlines a busy window that has reshaped Forest’s dressing room.
He joins a list of arrivals that includes Boyd Fraser from Hearts, Mason Ayre from Glentoran, Blaine McClure from Rangers, Xaver Schlager from RB Leipzig on a free, Grady McDonnell from Club Brugge, and Kasen Brown from Manchester City, also on a free. It is a blend of youth, experience and opportunistic business.
The outgoing list is even more eye-catching. Elliot Anderson’s £116m move to Manchester City dominates the departures, a deal that effectively funded Forest’s ability to go big on Diomande and still refresh other areas of the squad. David Carmo has left for Olympiacos, Joe Gardner has joined Falkirk, and Cormac Daly has gone to Hearts.
Several players have exited on free transfers – Angus Gunn to San Jose Earthquakes, Ben Hammong to Boston United, Justin Hanks to Solihull Moors and Danny Anisjko to Chesterfield – while Jota Silva has joined Olympiacos on loan. Willy Boly, Stefan Ortega, Shae Cahill and Esapa Osong have all been released.
This is not tinkering. It is a reset.
A new spine, a new standard
Diomande walks into a club that has made clear choices: cash in on a marquee asset, clear space in the wage bill, and trust the head coach to build a side in his image. At 22, with titles, a domestic double and a continental trophy already on his CV, the Ivorian is expected to be more than just another signing.
He is being asked to anchor a defence, set standards and bring Champions League and international experience to a squad that wants to look up the table, not down.
The City Ground will have its say soon enough. When Diomande steps out in red for the first time, we will find out whether Forest have simply bought a promising defender – or the cornerstone of their next era.
