‘Nico Raskin’s Rangers career over’ after Russell Martin fallout
Nico Raskin may be the first high-profile casualty of the Russell Martin era at Rangers with a move to the Premier League on the cards.
The Belgium international moved to Ibrox in the winter of 2023 and has blossomed into one of the Premiership’s best players.
Last term, Raskin appeared 48 times in all competitions, scoring five and assisting 11 as the Bears finished a distant second to champions Celtic.
This summer, as is typical of Rangers, has been one of upheaval. But unlike previous years, all signs point towards it being for the best.
Russell Martin took over at Ibrox to replace Barry Ferguson at the helm, and the Bears’ new owners have backed the former Southampton man by making 10 signings this summer.
However, despite all the promise, discontent is simmering in Glasgow after a less-than-ideal start to the Premiership season.
Nico Raskin dropped for key European clash
Rangers were drawn against Viktoria Plzen in the third round of Champions League qualification, as the Gers look to earn a place in the competition proper.
The match is only Martin’s fourth competitive game as manager of the Bears, and he showed he is unafraid of shaking things up.
Raskin was ineffectual in the 1-1 draw with Motherwell on Saturday, 2 August, and was taken off in the 73rd minute with Connor Barron taking his place.
The Bears boss was extremely critical of his side after the draw, calling out some of his players for “picking and choosing” when they put effort in on the pitch, and that some of his side showed “too much ego”.
And against Plzen, there was no place for the Belgian star in Martin’s starting XI, as the former Southampton boss chose to give Lyall Cameron his first start for Rangers after a summer move from Dundee FC.
Additionally, Raskin was shown a yellow card despite being on the touchline for his remonstrations to the referee after Plzen were awarded a free-kick, seemingly showing his frustrations with the situation he finds himself in.
Premier League clubs on alert to Nico Raskin availability
Pete O’Rourke revealed to Football Insider exclusively that Rangers were willing to entertain offers of £20million for Raskin this summer.
The 24-year-old has interest from Premier League clubs, and those clubs will be on high alert after the midfielder was dropped against Plzen.
Players being benched is nothing new, but the timing of the Belgium international’s exclusion from the starting XI points to an underlying issue relating to his manager’s comments after the Motherwell draw.
Sources had previously told Football Insider that Martin was keen to build a new-look Rangers side around Raskin, but the decision to bench the midfielder in a pivotal match suggests the English manager may have changed his mind, and the former Standard Liege man may be keen to make the most of the interest in him whilst the transfer window remains open.