Nicolas Raskin’s potential move from Rangers to Besiktas fell away due to fan complaints.
Sabah report on the ‘whirlwind’ of activity around the Belgian player and how the response from Rangers fans may have influenced matters.
Rangers changed terms
The newspaper reports that Nicolas Raskin spent the entirety of Wednesday with his phone in his hand awaiting news about his future.
Besiktas had been pushing to sign him all day. They had initially agreed a deal with Rangers for the 25-year-old. The midfielder was also keen, having spoken to international teammate Leandro Trossard about the move.
Then Rangers moved the goalposts. Sabah explain that after an initial loan with an option to buy was agreed, Rangers then demanded a higher loan fee. They also insisted that the purchase option be made mandatory.
Fans intervened
That led to a delay in negotiations. In that delay, Rangers fans intervened. They loudly voiced their view that Raskin was the team’s most important player, and they did not want to see him leave.
Raskin was then included in the matchday squad for the game against Falkirk. After that game, he declared that he did not want to leave Ibrox after all. That was despite Rangers later accepting Besiktas’ new offer.
He had changed his mind about the transfer – perhaps swayed by the fan intervention – and consequently the deal did not go through.
It now remains to be seen what role Nicolas Raskin continues to play at Rangers in the coming months. Rangers fans mad their opinions clear, but it seems the club think differently.
The fact that they were still willing to sanction the deal after the complaints shows as much. It was, ultimately, Raskin who shut the whole thing down. How Rangers respond to that, and the end of a deal they were clearly open to, will be interesting.
