Rangers star could still leave despite transfer market closure as Derek McInnes' 'sigh of relief' put on hold

Rangers boss Derek McInnes breathed a ‘sigh of relief’ when the Scottish transfer market closed yesterday, but with other countries still doing business, some players could still become the subject of interest, including midfielder Nico Raskin.

The Belgian midfielder was the subject of a rejected loan and permanent bid from Turkish side Besiktas. After playing 90 minutes for Rangers in their 2-1 midweek victory over Falkirk, his immediate future is likely to be at Ibrox - but until the busy Turkish transfer market closes at 10pm (BST) tonight, there’s no guarantees. The Ibrox clubs already sold Ivorian maestro Mohamed Diomande to fellow Super Lig side FK Corum earlier in the window.

Despite making 13 new signings since arriving as Rangers boss (not including Lawrence Shankland who was already in the building) McInnes is glad to see the back of the Scottish window and the uncertainty it can bring to the squad. He now hopes his team can fully concentrate on matters at Ibrox - starting with Motherwell at home in the league this weekend.

McInnes on Raskin bid potential

When asked if he’s worried about any incoming late bids from Turkey, the Rangers boss responded: “You can’t worry about things you can’t control. I’ve had many discussions with Nico over the last period and he feels that he just wants to really concentrate and work with us, and try to make the best of the situation. He understands that at Rangers you have to be on the job to get wins here. For him now, it’s about working towards the January window.

“I don’t want everyone to assume that players just want to go in the next window. I think it’s important that message is clear to my players, I want to get into a position where nobody wants to leave here. Obviously, sometimes money counts and money matters. Sometimes the money is available in countries like Turkey, where it is net, and it can be astronomical amounts that are difficult to turn down for clubs and players.

“But I also want players to want to be here as long as they can be. Being at Rangers should not be something they are looking to exit quickly to jump to the next thing. Nico has been first class since I’ve come in. With his experience as a midfielder, I feel he can help us with more challenges ahead.”

Window closure a ‘sigh of relief’

If McInnes’ hopes are answered and Raskin stays, he could be a huge player for Rangers for the season ahead. The Rangers boss went onto describe the window as a ‘war’ after fighting for so long to get deals over the line and keep his own players. Now that transfer D-Day has been and gone, he hopes he can look ahead to the future.

“We all took a huge sigh of relief when the window closed yesterday and we get on with the job in hand. It feels like I’ve been to war this window, to be honest. It feels like the longest window I’ve ever known. There’s always so much to consider. At Rangers, I don’t want to work with players who just see what’s next and what’s next after this, always maybe eagerly eyeing up other opportunities. I want people who want to be here, who want to hang about the club for a period of time and want to be successful here.”

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