Barry Ferguson’s Plea to Nico Raskin After Summer Transfer Turmoil
Barry Ferguson has urged Nico Raskin to drop any thought of a January exit from Ibrox, insisting the midfielder’s focus should now be firmly on Rangers.
The message from Ferguson, who coached Raskin during his own spell as caretaker manager, carries real weight with supporters still processing the noise around the Belgian’s Rangers future.
Ferguson knows the player better than most pundits offering an opinion from the outside.
He worked closely with Raskin during his time in interim charge, and that relationship shapes his view of where the the player’s priorities should sit now the summer window has shut.
“I’ve always maintained he’s a player that I would always want to see stay at Rangers. Sometimes people have got different thoughts, maybe they want to try a different league, but now the window’s shut, Nico has to concentrate.”
It’s a straightforward message. Ferguson isn’t dismissing Raskin’s ambitions, but he wants the midfielder’s attention back on the here and now, with a settled squad and a manager building genuine momentum.
In fairness to Raskin, it has been.
He delivered two excellent performances in the recent Old Firm encounters.
The Besiktas Offer and Raskin’s Mindset Before the Window Closed
Raskin has since admitted he was mentally prepared to leave Ibrox before the summer window closed, a rare piece of honesty from a player who knows supporters were watching every twist of the saga closely.
That candour lines up with our earlier report on the Nicolas Raskin dilemma facing Rangers once the transfer deadline passed without a move materialising.
Besiktas were the only club to lodge an official offer, arriving late on deadline day. Raskin turned it down, and the Turkish approach was never matched by any other side.
We covered the background to Raskin’s Ibrox stay in detail when the Lewis Ferguson links first emerged.
Midfield Synergy and Tactical Progress Under Derek McInnes
Ferguson believes Raskin’s quality is obvious once his head is properly in the game, and he sees a genuine partnership forming alongside Dan Neil in central midfield.
“I think when Nico gets his head down and he concentrates, you see the levels he brings. He’s got all the attributes you would want in a midfielder.”
“I think good teams and successful teams build relationships and I think him and Dan in the middle of the pitch are certainly building one just now.”
That partnership has coincided with a productive spell for Derek McInnes’ side.
Rangers have now won six matches in a row, a run that includes back-to-back victories over Celtic and crucial momentum, overall.
“I’ve been really impressed since exiting in Europe. I think the reaction, not just the manager and the coaching staff, the players, I’ve been very impressed,” said the treble winning Rangers captain.
“I thought the two Celtic games, I was so impressed tactically. I thought Derek came up with a brilliant tactical idea in the cup game.
“But I just thought the attitude, the desire, and the determination of the players shone through, and I thought the two Celtic games, they were so impressive and thoroughly deserved their two wins.”
Ferguson also pointed to the squad’s slow start settling in, a natural consequence of a busy summer of transfer business.
“It was always going to take a bit of time because there was a big turnaround of players in the summer. Some players hit the ground running. It takes others a wee bit of time to get going.”
January Transfer Uncertainty and the Road Ahead for Rangers
Ferguson is careful not to get carried away by six wins in a row, even with two of them coming against Celtic. He views the run as evidence of something building rather than proof the job is done.
“As for Derek’s side, you’ve got to remember it’s only September. I’ll never get carried away, but what I do like is what I’ve seen the last six games.”
“But now I think you’re starting to see a team that’s got a real togetherness. That’s the biggest thing for me as well. The only disappointing thing is there’s a break that’s come at the wrong time in my opinion. It was six games, five in the league.
He credits the whole operation at Ibrox rather than any single factor for the improvement.
“That’s everything you would want in a Rangers team and that comes down to the manager, the coaching staff, and the players.
“I see something building but it’s still early days. There’s a lot of football to be played. They’re in three competitions domestically, that’s what you want.”
Nothing has been decided about Raskin’s long-term future, and Ferguson isn’t claiming otherwise.
What he is clear about is that Rangers need their midfielder fully committed between now and January, with the partnership alongside Dan Neil central to how McInnes wants his team to play.
For all the detail behind Ferguson’s comments, the Daily Record report carries the interview in full.
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