Even though Philippe Clement was sacked by Rangers back in February, his words about Nico Raskin this week still carry weight, as the Belgian midfielders improvement was one of the few success stories from Clement’s reign in the Ibrox dugout, and they’ve got fans talking.
Clement said: “He’s ready. I’m convinced Nico would fit perfectly in the Premier League."
It’s a bold statement from the former boss, and one that feels a bit like a nudge toward the exit door. Clement isn’t pretending Raskin’s walking into a top six side, but he’s clearly confident the Belgian would hold his own just beneath that level.
More than that, he insists that with regular minutes, Nico will kick on even further, and he’d stake his reputation on it.
For some supporters, it might sting to hear that. Raskin was meant to be a long-term piece of the puzzle during the new era at Ibrox, a player to build around, not sell on.
But the truth is under our new owners, we will be a developing and selling club, we will lose our star players, but we will make more money than we ever have from player trading and we will see that money wisely reinvested in new, emerging talents.
And now, with Clement gone and Russell Martin beginning a new era at the club, big decisions have to be made. Raskin has the potential to become a top player, but does that happen at Rangers? Or is this summer the moment we cash in and move on?
There’s a strong argument to say if he’s leaving, it better be on our terms. No lowball offers. No undervaluing. The English market pays for potential, and Raskin has plenty of it, he’s still just 24 and a full Belgian international, where he is becoming a regular, ahead of the big money buy across the city.
If we’re serious about improving our player trading model, this is a big test. Get the deal right, or back him fully and make him a cornerstone of the rebuild with an improved contract.
Either way, Clement’s comments feel significant. Whether he meant to or not, he’s lit a fire under the Raskin situation. And as fans, all we can do now is watch and hope that, whatever comes next, Rangers and Nico make the right move.