‘I Was Mentally Ready’ – Rangers Star Admits Transfer Disappointment | OneFootball

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Nicolas Raskin admits he was ‘mentally ready to leave’ Rangers this summer, but is putting a failed move out of his mind for now despite the disappointment of it not happening.

The midfielder was impressive for Belgium at the World Cup and there was every expectation he would be sold by Rangers in the summer.

Raskin had also drawn interest in previous transfer windows and the time appeared ripe for the Gers to cash in, not least because they had brought in other midfielders such as Cammy Devlin and Dan Neil.

No move happened though, despite a big push from Turkish side Besiktas before the transfer window in Turkey slammed shut, and Raskin has remained at Ibrox.

The midfielder admits that in his head he was ready to end his association with Rangers, but accepts that deals not happening are just part and parcel of football.

Raskin is now fully focused on doing his best for Rangers and is prepared to park transfer interest until future windows.

“It is a bit of a disappointment, because I was mentally ready to leave”, Raskin told Belgian outlet Sporza.

“But that is football and it is not a big deal. There are many parameters and off-field matters you have to take into account during a transfer.

“The timing wasn’t perfect. But I want to keep doing my best now, and then we’ll see in the next transfer windows.”

Raskin will have no European football this season to put himself in the shop window, with Rangers having been knocked out in the qualifiers for the Europa League and then the Conference League.

That could be good news for Rangers and serve to dampen interest in the midfielder in the January transfer window, amid Derek McInnes already dubbing him ‘terrific’.

A move for Raskin next summer would likely suit the Gers better, though there could be more pressure to sell then and less of a sense of desperation amongst suitors, which could be the case in the January window.

Raskin feels that at international level, following the World Cup, Belgium can now focus on kicking on.

“The World Cup was a great experience. Every young player dreams of playing there”, he explained.

“Collectively, it was good and I enjoyed it a lot. We have created something that allows us to look ahead with ambition.”

McInnes will be hoping Raskin can steer clear of injury over the course of the international break and head back to Ibrox raring to go.