Andy Walker speculates why Rangers were 'spooked' with Nicolas Raskin transfer decision
Nicolas Raskin stayed at Rangers despite intense speculation over his future in the transfer window.
The Belgium international saw his stock rise after a string of strong displays at the World Cup for his country.
The 25-year-old was the subject of reported interest from clubs all over Europe during a hectic summer at Ibrox.
A late move to Turkey with Besiktas was also mooted, but ultimately no move came to fruition and he surprisingly stayed at Ibrox.
Former Celtic striker Andy Walker has speculated that there might be a reason he ended up staying in Govan.
Were Rangers influenced by another factor in Nicolas Raskin decision?
Walker was stating how he felt Rangers might have progressed from the Conference League qualifiers had Raskin played.
The Gers opted not to play Raskin in either match of the Jablonec tie, as they were embarrassed in a shoot-out defeat.
After a move failed to materialise, Raskin has come back into the engine room and has shown promising signs of a blossoming partnership with Dan Neil in Derek McInnes' midfield.
Walker, speaking on the Go Radio Football Show, thinks that Rangers were "spooked" by Youssef Chermiti's serious knee injury and that might have had an impact on discussions over his sale.
He said: "I think Rangers might still be in Europe if Nico Raskin had played those qualifiers, those games that you watched, they needed a bit of quality, I think Raskin can provide it.
"You remember his performances not so long back at Celtic Park, scoring goals, setting up chances for others.
"Rangers are a better team with Raskin in it, and I know they might have been spooked a little bit by the Chermiti injury, they had an offer for him, he got the injury, and obviously he's out for a lengthy amount of time, they didn't want to take any chances on Raskin.
"Had he played in those European qualifiers I think Rangers might still be in Europe."
Were Rangers right to keep Nicolas Raskin?
Situations like the one Rangers faced with Raskin are always Catch 22.
On the one hand, you never want to see your best players leave the club, especially at a time you're trying to give McInnes the best tools possible to challenge for the Scottish Premiership.
But, on the other, Rangers have been so poor when it comes to trading players at the right time in recent years.
Nowadays, it is absolutely crucial to get your player-trading model right, and Raskin would have undoubtedly brought in a decent figure if they had sold.
With his contract up in the summer of 2028, Rangers are losing time in terms of selling for a peak value, so it will be interesting to see what happens in January.