Rangers Other Posts 3

31 May 2026 11:32:03
Is there any solid sounding out of Raskin been heard about? At this stage I'd happily swap him for Lewis Ferguson.

31 May 2026 12:34:02
Don't think Raskin will be sold until after the World Cup, same with Ferguson, or country knocked out, Ekger.

31 May 2026 13:55:11
Interest from abroad, Spurs, Everton as well.

31 May 2026 15:25:25
I'd hope £20m minimum after
World Cup.

I really
wouldn't be surprised at a straight swap for Lewis.

31 May 2026 16:08:10
Talking about World Cup squads, having seen yesterday's friendly scores. I could not believe that Czerny did not make the provisional 54 man squad for the Czech Republic.

31 May 2026 16:19:52
Stevie, u seriously saying Ferguson worth 20 million?

31 May 2026 16:57:54
If Raskin is £20 million.
And Ferguson is €15 million.
Are we therefore getting a lesser, older player in exchange which will technically make us weaker than last season. 🤔

31 May 2026 17:06:36
MpH, not really when one is a fan and the other only turns up for Belgium.

31 May 2026 18:11:03
Raskin is a better overall player than Ferguson. However, I think Ferguson makes Rangers a better team than what Raskin does.

31 May 2026 18:30:04
John, he won best mf award in Serie A last summer. Or was it one before, mate?

At that point he was valued at EUR25m.

I'd say now he's maybe worth EUR15 or £15m.

I do however think once fit and on form he is a EUR25m player, mate, yes.



I don't think the Italians would do cash plus swap. I think it would be a straight swap to suit them. He is captain after all, and that award is a massive thing in Italy.

I do though know what you're saying, mate, I do get your point.

31 May 2026 18:30:23
Wishy, make that make sense, mate?

31 May 2026 19:36:32
If 25 million euros is his value, he won't be at Rangers, Stevie.

31 May 2026 21:17:10
Asking price will be down since his injury layoff, and now playing in rotation instead of every week in the season before. Depending on outgoing sales, it could be possible.

31 May 2026 23:34:47
Raskin is worth more imo and hopefully the both of them are playing for us.

01 Jun 2026 10:19:41
If Raskin is a better player than Ferguson, I wouldn't want Ferguson. Raskin is vastly overrated, imo. He had 4 good months under Ferguson, when the pressure was off. He's very inconsistent, and a nightmare to play with if you're another midfielder, cause he's everywhere and leaves his midfield partner isolated as he runs about doing what he wants.

Not disciplined enough, imo. I'd be astounded if he got a move south to a top 12 club in the PL. He'll get found right out down here.

01 Jun 2026 11:10:46
Raskin won't swap to Italy. He's already said he wants EPL.

01 Jun 2026 11:40:37
John, come on, you're fishing, you're the same one who said Raskin should be sold around 10 -15million (can't remember exact figure), but was way lower than everyone thought.

01 Jun 2026 12:19:55
Anyone who has watched Raskin this season and offers us £20m must need some new specs. Would bite their hand off for that.

01 Jun 2026 16:51:00
Forever, 100% not fishing, I stand by 12 million for Raskin, he is never worth straight swap for Ferguson.

Forever, I stand by 12 million is what's in his contract when we signed him.

02 Jun 2026 15:32:47
100% John, I've always thought Raskin was a £10-15 million player tops. He'll get terrorised in the PL. I'd be surprised if any of the top 10-12 teams took a punt on him.

31 May 2026 07:59:45
Our Blueprint: The Dutch and Belgian Club Model

I've spoken before about Koppens strategy, how Thelwell and Martin tore this up and how the club are now reverting back to this model. So I thought I'd try to summarise it as it may explain the current transfer strategy.

Dutch and Belgian clubs consistently sustain financial health, and remain competitive on the European stage by using a highly calculated squad-building blueprint perfected by clubs like Ajax, PSV, Club Brugge, and Anderlecht.

Instead of chasing short-term marquee signings, this model relies on a strict matrix to construct a balanced squad. It blends youth development with seasoned experience across three core player profiles.

Academy Graduates, 30-40%
League Veterans, 30-40%
International Recruits, 20-30%

1. The Academy Graduates (The Financial Engine)

The Target: Cultivating homegrown talent from the ages of 8 to 21.

The Purpose: These players represent low capital expenditure and maximum resale profit and they understand the club's tactical philosophy instinctively.

The Strategy: Keeping 30% to 40% of the first-team squad reserved for academy graduates ensures a constant pathway to the first team, preserving the club's identity and allowing the club to attract the best youth talent from across the globe.

2. The Domestic League Veterans (The Tactical Anchor)

The Target: Signing players aged 23–30 with 100+ appearances in the Eredivisie or Belgian Pro League.

The Purpose: To navigate the physical and psychological demands of the domestic league. They mentor the youth and absorb the pressure during rough patches.

The Strategy: These players provide immediate stability. They rarely possess high resale value, but their return on investment (ROI) is measured in points, leadership, and dressing room culture.

3. The International Wildcards (The Market Differentiator)

The Target: Under-valued talent scouted from secondary markets (e. g. South America, Africa Scandinavia, or Eastern Europe).

The Purpose: Adding athletic profiles, tactical unpredictability, or physical traits missing from the domestic market.

The Strategy: Clubs target players who are dominant in their home countries but remain uncapped or under the radar. The goal is to polish them for 2–3 seasons and sell them to a top-five European league for a massive premium. Typically the first season for these players is written off as the integration year.

Balancing Youth vs. Experience: The "Rule of Thirds" or positional ageing.

A squad entirely made up of 19-year-olds collapses under pressure. A squad of 32-year-olds drains a club's financial future.

The Dutch and Belgian model solves this with a strict Age Curve Rule:

Peak Age (24–29): The spine of the team (Goalkeeper, Center-back, Defensive Midfielder, Striker). They command the pitch and handle the tactical weight.

Development Age (17–23): The explosive positions (Wingers, Attacking Midfielders, Full-backs). These positions allow young players to express their creativity, showcase their value, and drive up market demand.

Summary

The Dutch and Belgian model proves that sustainable success is not about spending the most money or buying the most players, it is about structural discipline. By balancing internal development with strategic external recruitment, these clubs create a self-sustaining ecosystem that survives the inevitable loss of their best players every summer.

Crucially these clubs also understand that to be sustainable you sometimes have to suffer periodic reset periods. Something that I think we've struggled to accept, resulting in the sacking of GVB and PC, which has been to the detriment of our longterm success.

31 May 2026 08:44:41
Ehl, an excellent article.

31 May 2026 09:03:49
Great insight again Ehl, hopefully the club are finally moving in the right direction. Koppen was doing a lot of great things within our club. Maybe he should've got the big promotion and got Thelwell's position.

31 May 2026 09:51:37
Loved the article, Ehl. Do you think there is sufficient talent of the right quality in Scotland to fill the second domestic league veterans quota? Holland and Belgium even seem to have a ready supply of those moving to the top clubs, but we never have had that here.



I also agree, the main thing we will struggle with is the period it takes to settle all this in, with perhaps success not being there.

31 May 2026 10:17:09
Great post, Ehl. Very interesting to see thinking behind what Koppen wanted to do.
Is there the same reluctance in Holland and Belgium to sell to big clubs as here, especially to us?

31 May 2026 10:18:22
Thanks Guys.

Angus, absolutely, providing we have the right infrastructure in place to support them.

Souttar & Jack are two really good examples.

Jack was brilliant SPL level player who thrived, as he was part of a balanced midfield squad that meant he could play to his strengths, which complimented those around him.



Souttar is a brilliant SPL level player who struggles as he's part of an inexperienced and unbalanced defense, and he rarely gets to focus on playing to his strengths, in fact, the inexperience around him often exposes his weaknesses.

31 May 2026 10:37:29
Excellent, Ehl.

Very impressed with Club Brugge when they played us, couldn't believe the ages of some of the young players, and as you said, per the Belgian model, complemented by seasoned pros.

31 May 2026 11:24:29
Brilliant EHL, very good insight.
Could you go further and explain how this differs from what Thelwell & Martin wanted to do? Did they not want to follow the 'English' model?
Cheers.

31 May 2026 11:29:04
Excellent article, Ehl, you can see how this already works at clubs like Brugge, PSV, etc. Certainly something we should be aiming to replicate if only the fans had the patience to give it a chance.

31 May 2026 11:48:56
Ehl, I think you're an excellent poster, but John Souttar is not excellent, and he's been a terrible signing for Rangers that should be moved on immediately. I remember he played in an OF game a few years back with Ben Davies in which both performed like junior players. 3 seasons later, and he's still losing the same goals as back then.

He should've shown that guy down the outside of him yesterday, but allowed him to cut inside onto his strong foot. Goals he's been conceding at Ibrox his whole time here. Dundee United scored the exact same type of goal against him in the 4-2 game.

31 May 2026 12:38:59
Excellent post, Ehl.

31 May 2026 13:04:06
Cheers, Ehl, appreciate the reply. I always see Jack and Souttar as being exceptions, granted, but if we go down that route, will be interesting to see who we target from other clubs. There is a lot of very good young lads, but wasn't sure who the more experienced element would be. Just my lack of knowledge of other teams' players probably.

31 May 2026 13:28:44
Superb, informative post Ehl - very well done sir!

31 May 2026 13:38:41
Brilliant post, Ehl. Lets us understand the game beyond the 90 minutes.

31 May 2026 14:40:14
Very insightful and thoughtful post, Ehl.

31 May 2026 14:44:29
I was looking a bit closer into Stig Inge Bjornebye. Prior to his arrival he had been acting as a Sporting Director at Aarhus in Denmark for 4 years between 2021 and 2025. As a player, I think Souness took him to Anfield as one of his first signings after he left Rangers. I would imagine the blueprint in operation in Holland and Belgium would be very similar to that operating in Denmark also. It would make perfect sense for Stig to look at the work that Clement and Koppen were aiming at, that seemed to be totally discarded under Thelwell.

Another point I would like to raise is that Aarhus just won their first domestic title in 40 years back in Denmark, and that can be in no small part down to the work that Stig Inge Bjornebye put in there. I think we are in much better hands now, and I wonder if Souness intervened by calling in an old friend. I do remember a headline that had Souness claiming it would be hard to trust Thelwell heading into the winter window, given what had gone before. Within days, the gruesome twosome were gone. I just think when Souness speaks, people take note.

31 May 2026 14:45:35
Cheers Ehl. And I agree this is a structure we should be all over. Look at the last time the club were the dominant force in Scottish football. We signed young Scottish talent such as Naismith, Thomson, Broadfoot and gave regular game time to the likes of McGregor, Adam Burke and Hutton, whilst having more senior Scottish players i.e.

Ferguson, McCulloch, Dailly, Weir, etc. That's not a bad Scottish core there.

31 May 2026 14:49:06
Can't say anything that's not been said above, apart from stupendous. 👀😉👍👍

31 May 2026 22:07:38
Enough, sick of this balanced, logical explanations that makes everything make sense.
No point coming on here now.
Ehl has ruined this forum. 🤔😜

31 May 2026 23:31:37
You're the man John has been a decent signing. He has just not been the same since his injury.

01 Jun 2026 00:43:52
Superb post Ehl. The common sense of it all is quite striking, especially when you look at the development of young players to be sold on. The Pattersons, Basseys, Aribos, Curtis, etc, are real explosive, powerful players that other clubs feel they can develop further when bought for a big price to us but modest in their terms.



There are more than enough players out there to take on, but ultimately it will fail if these guys don't have the experience and professionalism surrounding them. Hopefully we develop this model and ask for patience for it to bear fruit.

01 Jun 2026 05:56:54
Fantastic as always

30 May 2026 16:26:24
Nice to see few new faces in team today so chuffed for Curtis getting his 1st goal and Shanks wading in with a double nice way to end the friendlies before the serious hard work begins.

30 May 2026 20:32:12
Still 1 more friendly game.

30 May 2026 16:15:03
Rice anytime Dembele anytime, 30/1.

30 May 2026 10:41:43
I know some people are saying I wouldn't sign this or that player as they would take up a European slot, remember though we have over 40+ domestic games to play also. Now take Cammy Devlin for instance. Will he sign for a European club in European competition.

He might but I doubt it. Would he come to Rangers if he was told he may just be used domestically. I think and hope questions like that are used when talking with agents.

30 May 2026 15:10:28
I honestly doubt he would, Davie. I wouldn't go to a team who were in Europe to be told I'm only being used domestically. Especially when I could possibly sign a contract at the side I'm about to leave, who have European football also. A footballer's career isn't a long one, so you want to achieve as much as possible.

30 May 2026 15:34:31
Barron is a better player, if Barron played for Hearts, we'd have a big majority on here wanting him signed for a transfer fee, without being out of contact.

30 May 2026 15:35:06
Never added, not for me on a free.

30 May 2026 16:17:22
I really hope to God questions like that aren't used, Davie. That's basically telling a player he isn't good enough for Europe, not exactly filling the boy with confidence, mate.

30 May 2026 21:59:08
If he isn't good enough to play for us in Europe, then surely he isn't good enough.

30 May 2026 22:51:02
But we do sign players, then don't put them in the Euro squad though, Angus, Bb4, is it not better they know when they sign than disappoint them after?

31 May 2026 01:42:22
Players like who, Kaiser? It definitely isn't better to tell a player they're not good enough to play in Europe, especially when you're trying to entice the players to join your club. That's like flat out saying you're not good now, nor will you ever be, just being honest with you that you're not that good.

I would rather our club said, we don't feel you're ready for European football now, but keep working as we believe you have a high ceiling and we also believe that you'll be ready soon.

01 Jun 2026 11:42:47
Potential Champions League aith Hearts.

Think he's going nowhere right now until qualifiers are done.

28 May 2026 17:39:01
I asked AI to give me a list of Rangers possible signing and put them in order of probability, fyi

Lawrence Shankland Striker
Dan Neil Midfielder
Luke Graham Centre-Back
Akpe Victory Centre-Back
Oskar Fallenius Winger
Joel Piroe Forward
Josh Windass Midfielder.

28 May 2026 22:39:52
Well it got Shankalnd right at least. 😉

29 May 2026 07:31:45
It must be monitoring this site. Did you ask before Shankland signed?

29 May 2026 12:03:56
AI just picks up what has been written about on the web, so most of its information is coming from forums like this.

29 May 2026 22:54:06
It is also correct that there is no Ferguson.
He won't be signed.

30 May 2026 14:10:14
What makes you so sure, Slim Jim?

28 May 2026 17:10:13
I've just stuck a ton on " the lost sock"

In honour of my old pal Cheers, hope you're well mate

28 May 2026 20:34:17
Another "lost sock".

Cheers, where are you, brother?

28 May 2026 20:40:06
Was thinking that myself a few days ago, Tom. I hope he's been a good boy.

28 May 2026 22:39:04
Could be anywhere, Tom, our three cheers is a bit of a wanderer. What a guy. Miss him when he's not on tbh.

29 May 2026 13:50:44
He said he was having time out till season starts. A top man.

Alphe, let us know you're ok.

29 May 2026 21:41:31
Yeah, he did, John. He said he's not fell out with anyone, but was just taking a break. He's a funny guy as well. 👍

Echo your thoughts in Aphe. 👍