Nicolas Raskin ‘didn’t like’ what Russell Martin said to him, the truth about Rangers offers also revealed
Rangers may have never actually received any offers for Nicolas Raskin during the summer transfer window.
Raskin fell out with new manager Russell Martin earlier this season, and his omission from matchday squads has been a point of discussion for a number of weeks.
The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for the Gers since their Champions League play-off defeat to Club Brugge, and even though Martin insisted the issue was resolved, he was left out last weekend against Hearts.
Over the summer, Raskin was linked with a move to the Premier League, and it was reported that Leeds United, Brentford, and Everton all made approaches.
However, Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the three Premier League clubs never even submitted official offers.
Raskin’s agent may have fabricated offers
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that all the rumours about Raskin’s potential move to the Premier League were simply agent talk.
The Belgian international reportedly rejected Everton, Leeds, and Brentford in favour of staying at Rangers.
Wyness added that Raskin doesn’t have the quality to play in the Premier League.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I’m not so sure those offers actually existed. So I think that could have been agent talk to a degree.
“He’s never struck me at all as being the quality of a Premier League player. I think he’s a squad filler in that sense. He needs to get his head down and rededicate himself to Rangers.
“If he can show some strength, which is what the Rangers fans are really looking for, he could make a name for himself by showing he can be a leader and do that.
“That’s where his energy should be focused, rather than trying to look down the road because it’s obvious he didn’t get the move and he’s going to be there for a while now. So he’s got to buckle down and do it.
“I think Russell Martin has obviously made that clear to him, and that’s something that Raskin didn’t like. But nevertheless, he’s got to get on with it and do it.
“That’s where he is now, and that would be one of the things that would help everybody at Rangers right now, is people taking responsibility. That’s going to be the key issue.”
Russell Martin is a ‘dead man walking’
Meanwhile, Martin will reportedly be sacked by Rangers after an embarrassing start to the season.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who claims that the ex-Southampton boss is a “dead man walking” and the Gers are only “delaying the inevitable”.
Having dropped nine points below rivals Celtic so early in the season, it has become clear that the manager is not the right man for the job.
However, Football Insider revealed on 9 September that the Rangers board are prepared to back Martin despite the fact he has lost the support of the fans.
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