Rangers FC

Imagine him & Raskin: Rangers “expected” to finalise new signing

Published

2 weeks ago

June 19, 2024

Glasgow Rangers head of recruitment Nils Koppen has been hard at work in the summer transfer window so far, with three deals already completed.

Oscar Cortes has joined on a second loan from RC Lens, left-back Jefte has been signed from Fluminense, and centre-back Clinton Nsiala will join on from AC Milan at the start of next month.

The Gers are also reportedly closing in on the signing of Hamza Igamane on a permanent deal to bolster Philippe Clement’s options at the top end of the pitch.

Scotland international Tommy Conway, who is currently away at the European Championship in Germany, has also been linked with a move to Ibrox.

The Light Blues are now said to be closing in on the signing of another player to add to the club’s midfield ranks ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Rangers closing in on SPFL star

According to Rangers Review journalist Chris Jack, former Aberdeen central midfielder Connor Barron is “expected” to sign for the Scottish giants.

The reporter claims that the Gers look to have won the race for his signature amid heavy competition from teams in England and Italy this summer and are now on track to finalise a deal for the talented youngster.

His contract with the Dons expired at the end of last month and Rangers will need to agree a compensation fee with the Scottish Premiership club, as he is only 21.

Sky Sports have backed up Jack’s claim by reporting that Koppen and Clement are ‘closing in’ on the signing of the SPFL star, whilst they add that former Motherwell shot-stopper Liam Kelly is also poised to join on a free transfer to compete with Jack Butland.

Barron now looks set to link-up with his new teammates when the team return for pre-season later this summer and he could form an exciting partnership with Nicolas Raskin in the middle of the park next season.

Why Connor Barron and Nicolas Raskin could be dominant

With Ryan Jack and John Lundstram having departed on free transfers at the end of last month, there is a vacancy in midfield for the ex-Aberdeen star to walk into.

Mohammed Diomande is capable of playing further forward in midfield and that could see Barron and Raskin paired as the double pivot at the base of Clement’s side, with the Ivorian possibly playing ahead of them.

The former Dons star, who was hailed as “very impressive” by Scotland U21 boss Scott Gemmill, could thrive next to the Belgian ace as they are both fantastic out of possession.

23/24 Premiership	Connor Barron (Aberdeen)	Nicolas Raskin (Rangers)
Appearances	29	18
Tackles + interceptions per game	2.6	2.7
Ball recoveries per game	5.3	5.3
Ground duel success rate	53%	52%
Aerial duel success rate	68%	59%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, both players win the majority of their battles on the deck and in the air, which means that they can form a dominant midfield pairing that would be difficult for opposition teams to get the better of for Rangers next term.

Barron, 21, and Raskin, 23, are also two young midfielders with plenty of time left ahead of them to develop as players over the coming years, which means that they could be an immediately effective pairing whilst still having room to grow further.

Therefore, this could be an excellent piece of business by Koppen if it becomes official in the coming due to his proven Premiership quality and potential to be a brilliant partner for the club’s current Belgian metronome.

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