Glasgow Rangers need a huge summer to ensure that they can bounce back and be competitive in Scotland in the 2025/26 campaign and beyond.
There is no way to describe their current domestic campaign as anything other than disappointing, as they are on course to end the year without any trophies to show for their efforts.
The board made the decision to part ways with Philippe Clement and replaced him with the interim appointment of Barry Ferguson until the end of the season.
Rangers have lost two of their last four Scottish Premiership matches under the former Scotland international, who has not done much to suggest that he deserves the job on a permanent basis – beyond beating Fenerbahce on penalties after a 2-0 defeat at Ibrox.
A deal with US investors Andrew Cavenagh and San Francisco 49ers Paraag Marathe has reportedly been agreed in principle ahead of a takeover this summer, which means that there could be plenty of change on and off the pitch ahead of next season.
There could be turnover in the playing staff, as Rangers look to build a team that can compete for the title, but one player who should remain at Ibrox is central midfielder Nicolas Raskin.
Why Rangers must keep hold of Nicolas Raskin
TEAMtalk reported earlier this year that several teams are keeping tabs on the Belgium international ahead of the summer transfer window, having been impressed by his form this season.
The outlet claimed that English sides Aston Villa, who are in the Champions League this term, and Leeds United are both keen on the former Standard Liege star, who is said to be valued at £20m by the Gers.
When the takeover is finalised, Rangers must do everything in their power to fend off interest from down south to convince the Belgian dynamo to remain at Ibrox, because he is a key player for the team moving forward.
Raskin has delivered consistently impressive performances in the middle of the park as a box-to-box midfield player, starring for both Clement and Ferguson in the Premiership this term.
Appearances
28
Big chances created
6
Assists
6
Pass accuracy
88%
Tackles + interceptions per game
3.6
Ground duel success rate
58%
Aerial duel success rate
59%
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old star, who was signed by Michael Beale at the start of 2023, has been a defensive monster for the Gers, winning the majority of his duels and almost making four tackles and interceptions per game.
The Belgian talent has also provided quality in possession, assisting six goals, and been a metronomic figure on the ball with his high pass success rate.
Despite all of this, Raskin is not one of the very top earners at Rangers in the 2024/25 campaign, placing tenth on the wage bill at £19k-per-week.
The top ten earners at Rangers
The former Pro League starlet only just makes the top ten, earning £2k less per week than Ianis Hagi in ninth and £11k less per week than captain James Tavernier at the top of the wage bill.
This is despite Raskin being more integral to the Rangers team in the Premiership than many of the players who currently earn more than him at Ibrox.
James Tavernier
£30k
25
Vaclav Cerny
£27k
26
Cyriel Dessers
£27k
19
Danilo
£26k
6
Jack Butland
£25k
26
Rabbi Matondo
£23k
2
Dujon Sterling
£22k
11
Tom Lawrence
£22k
8
Ianis Hagi
£21k
16
Nicolas Raskin
£19k
24
As you can see in the table above, only three of the nine players above Raskin on the wage bill have started more games than him in the Premiership – one being a goalkeeper, one being the captain, and the other being a loanee.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
The new ownership should look to ruthlessly ditch some of the duds who are among the top earners at the club despite not contributing much on the pitch, and that is why Rangers must move on from Danilo this summer.
Why Rangers should sell Danilo
The Light Blues swooped to sign the Brazilian forward from Feyenoord in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of £6m in an attempt to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
To date, Danilo has racked up 12 goals and nine assists in 42 matches in all competitions, which is far from a horrendous return in front of goal, but he has failed to establish himself as a regular starter at Ibrox.
Part of that has been down to his consistent injury issues. The 26-year-old forward has missed a staggering 53 matches through injury since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
This has hampered his Rangers career so far and played a part in him only starting 11 games in the Premiership during his time at Ibrox, which suggests that the club have not got value for money out of the £6m they paid for his services, as well as his reported £26k-per-week.
His lack of minutes, and contributions, on the pitch in almost two years in Glasgow has led to his market value plummeting by millions over the past 18 months or so.
July 2023
£6m (reported fee)
December 2023
£6m
March 2024
£5.1m
October 2024
£4.3m
December 2024
£3.8m
March 2025 – present
£3.4m
As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian centre-forward is currently worth £2.6m less than the £6m fee that the Gers paid Feyenoord for him back in the summer of 2023.
He is a depreciating asset who is not offering much in return on the pitch for the wages that he is earning at Ibrox, which is why the club must ruthlessly ditch him from the squad in the summer transfer window.
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The Light Blues must explore their options to see if there is any interest in him in an attempt to recoup some of the money that has been drained by the former Ajax starlet.
