Kris Boyd believes Nico Raskin's impressive displays for Belgium at the World Cup will have Rangers' American owners dreaming of a lucrative transfer windfall. The Ibrox legend suggests that a strong tournament for the midfielder could provide manager Danny Rohl with the financial firepower to compete for silverware next season.
Raskin Shines on International Stage
Raskin has travelled to the United States aiming to play a key role for Rudi Garcia's Belgian side at this summer's World Cup. He appears to have secured a starting spot ahead of Belgium's Group G opener against Mohamed Salah's Egypt on June 15, following impressive performances in warm-up matches. Last Tuesday, Raskin formed a midfield trio with Kevin de Bruyne and Youri Tielemans in a 2-0 friendly win over Croatia in Rijeka. Garcia managed his minutes carefully after the team flew to the US for Saturday's final tune-up against Tunisia, but Raskin still scored off the bench in a 5-0 demolition.
Transfer Speculation Intensifies
With two years remaining on his Rangers contract, Boyd believes this summer could be pivotal in determining Raskin's future. If offers arrive, it might benefit Andrew Cavenagh as he looks to overhaul a squad that finished third last season. Boyd said: 'Rangers have already set their stall out by signing Lawrence Shankland and there will be more big players to follow. Yes, players will leave. None of us are naive enough to think that if a serious offer comes in for Nico Raskin, Rangers wouldn't consider it. At the end of the day, they have to look at the balance of their squad and they have to get money in if they're going to spend again this summer.'
He added: 'The American owners have already spent a lot of money but you also have to start bringing money in — and the most sellable asset in that squad right now would be Raskin. So I'm sure from Rangers' point of view, they might not want to lose him. But at the same time, they'll be hoping he has a good tournament, that he performs with the eyes of the world on him and potentially generates some serious money for the club.'
Raskin's Ambition and Future
Raskin has been in Scotland for three and a half years without winning a trophy, but Boyd believes the 25-year-old has ambitions to play at a higher level. 'I wouldn't be surprised if Nico Raskin moves on in the summer but I also wouldn't be surprised if he stays. He's shown at Rangers he can achieve good things in terms of getting in that Belgium squad and going to the World Cup. That's a huge step for Nico. He's been in the Belgium squad now for a number of years and the next step for him was to cement his place in that team. You've got to say, he's done that now.'
Boyd continued: 'But when you look at some of the other Belgian players and the levels they're performing at on a weekly basis, it would be difficult for Nico to say, 'I want to stay in Scottish football'. There's no doubt his ambition will be to further his career and play in a better league than Scotland. He might not get a bigger club than Rangers but when you see how he's done in Europe, to me he's done enough to suggest that he can perform at a higher level. So I'm sure he'll be looking for a move over the summer. But if it doesn't come, let's be realistic, he's not at a bad club as is.'
Leadership and Squad Building
The signing of Lawrence Shankland is Rangers' first step towards building a stronger leadership group. The former Hearts captain is already being touted as a potential successor to James Tavernier as skipper. However, Boyd rejects the idea that players like Raskin and Jack Butland need replacing, insisting Rangers need more leaders, not replacements. 'I don't buy into that at all. Nico has shown that he's a leader. But there's no doubt that the three or four guys trying to lead the team need help. If I go back to my team, there was Davy Weir, Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch, Steven Davis. But if you speak to them, they'll tell you there was also a group below them that would have made sure everything was running smoothly.'
Boyd added: 'A team like Rangers should have every single player looking to lead by example. There's undoubtedly leaders in there but you need more. When I look at Celtic, there's Callum McGregor, the obvious one. But Kieran Tierney has returned to the club and shown leadership. Arne Engles too when he came back into the side. Daizen Maeda led from the front when he decided to turn up at the end of the season. But when things came to crunch time after the split, I didn't really see that from Rangers.'
He concluded: 'There's no doubt that the signing of Lawrence Shankland enhances that. And I expect there will be more to come.'
