Diagouraga Signs
It's been 84 years, but I can finally say we've got a defensive midfielder! Toumani Diagouraga joins Rochdale on a one-year deal.
No spring chicken at 35-years old but to say we've been crying out for a defensive midfielder for a while would be quite the understatement.
The Parisian came up through the youth ranks at Watford but only made 6 appearances for the Hornets (no, he doesn’t play rugby!). He did go out on three loan spells though, to Swindon in 2006, Rotherham at the back end of the 2006/07 season and then spent all the following season at Hereford where he played 50 times, scoring twice. The loan spell was so successful that it was made permanent in July 2008 and went on to play 48 games, again scoring twice.
Diagouraga had a spell at Peterborough before his longest, and most successful spell of his career came, as he joined Brentford. After an initial loan spell, he went on to join the Griffin Park club permanent and chalked up 226 games over a 6-year spell. There was a brief loan spell at Portsmouth in that time.
He joined Leeds United from Brentford in January 2016, playing 20 times but also went on loan to Ipswich Town before he left Leeds for Plymouth. Spells at Fleetwood, Swindon and most recently Morecambe, with whom he had a really successful spell, winning promotion to League One. He played over 100 games for The Shrimps, scoring 6 goals in that time.
While a 35-year-old signing might raise a few eye brows, Diagouraga did make 40 league appearances last season and 46 appearances in total so he aint stopping just yet!
Welcome to the club Toumani!
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