Nico Raskin has insisted he holds too much respect for Rangers to push for an exit from Ibrox. The Belgium midfielder was widely expected to leave the club over the summer after featuring for the Red Devils at the World Cup, and he previously revealed he was “mentally prepared” to end his time in Glasgow.
However, it was not until the final day of the transfer window that Turkish club Besiktas lodged a firm offer for the 25-year-old, a deal he rejected. Rangers boss Derek McInnes is keen to keep hold of his main man in midfield but has also stated publicly that the Light Blues will work with Raskin should any opportunities to move arise in January.
Raskin's Commitment to Rangers
As for the player himself, he has made clear he will continue to give his all for the club after thanking them for providing the platform that allowed him to realise his international dreams. He said: “Of course, when you're an ambitious player, you want to keep going higher and higher and higher, so I thought there was a point where maybe I could try and go and get a new challenge after the World Cup. But like I said, I've never been pushing for something because I'm really happy here, it's a big club. This club helped me to join the Belgian national team, which is a big thing. So I'm really calm with that.”
“If something comes and everybody would be happy with it, then I would have looked to see if I could do it or not. But I don't need to push anything. I'm happy, the manager has been amazing with me since he arrived, so it was good this year to have that support from the manager. I was quite calm in the game, just taking it day by day, training after training to see where that would take me.”
Handling Transfer Speculation
Raskin admits a summer of transfer turmoil was difficult to ignore, and his head was left spinning again when Ibrox chiefs opted to stand him down for the club’s ill-fated Conference League showdown with Jablonec for fear of risking a big-money pay day. But he has not let the continuing speculation affect his recent form, which has been key to Rangers’ eight-game unbeaten streak.
He said: “The most difficult was for the people around a football player, not really for a football player. Because you live in uncertainty for so long, but it's just part of the game. When the window shut, I was back training, back playing and back giving everything I have for the club, so it wasn't that difficult, to be honest.”
“Could I switch off from all the talk? Not really, because you're living with it. The noise is always there, people calling you, people asking where you are, what's happening, which is normal. I've been long enough in football right now, so I've lived a few windows now, so I know how to deal with them. Now, I was fine with that.”
“The hardest was not being able to play, because then you're just at home and you watch the boys playing, so this is probably the hardest bit I've been through during the window. Now I'm just looking at tomorrow’s game against St Johnstone and to make sure we bounce back from the last game at Dundee. Then like I said, we'll see what happens.”
“We've got loads of time before January, so we’ll try to make the best of it, we’ll try to win as many games as we can. After that, I don't know what's going to happen.”
Contract Situation and Manager's View
With just 18 months left on his deal, Rangers know the clock is ticking if they are to maximise their profits from any potential sale. But asked if he’d consider penning a contract extension, Raskin did not rule out the possibility. “I don't know, it's not up to me,” he said. “It's up to the club. I'm just trying to work every day as hard as I can and trying to give a good performance on the pitch. We’ll see what happens.”
Asked if he was hopeful of tying Raskin down for longer, McInnes - who is hoping to have a full squad available despite his dressing room being hit by a flu bug this week - said: “I normally leave those sort of contract discussions between the club and the player and the agent.”
“But if there was an opportunity to work with Nico beyond that, then obviously it's something that I would not be against. I'm enjoying working with him, but equally I understand players may well have other aspirations.”
“Nico said to me that he could have had one or two things that he could have jumped at in the transfer window. But he's keen to be here and be part of a successful team. Unless something comes up that really turns his head and really turns Rangers' head, then we keep working together.”
