While Rangers’ recruitment department has experienced plenty of criticism over the years, Ibrox is nevertheless home to numerous of players who have come to represent exceptional value for money.
Legendary captain Barry Ferguson feels Rangers would earn a substantial profit on Hamza Igamane already, less than a season after the Moroccan wonder joined for a sum just shy of the £2 million mark.
Jack Butland, Dujon Sterling, and Clinton Nsiala all joined the Rangers when their contracts ended elsewhere. Chelsea’s interest in rampaging left-back Jefte, meanwhile, demonstrates how far the £400,000 bargain purchase has progressed after a rocky start in Scotland.
Since returning from a lengthy absence, Nico Raskin has performed more like a £17 million midfielder than a £1.7 million midfielder.
With only one matchday remaining before the knockout stages, Raskin is the Europa League’s top tackler per 90 minutes among all midfielders.
Raskin was ‘excellent’ as Rangers defeated Celtic 3-0 in their opening match of 2025. Chris Sutton, a hoops hero, is rarely the first to praise anyone in blue, but even he couldn’t ignore what was a tremendous all-action display from the guy whose boundless energy and strong battling skills ended Clement’s long wait for a first Old Firm victory.
Nico Raskin identified the only Rangers player who would start for Celtic.
Ian McCall, who spent two years in the heart of the Rangers engine room from 1987 to 1989, believes that only one member of Clement’s current roster would fit into the Celtic XI right now.
It is not Jack Butland, Vaclav Cerny, Jefte, or even Hamza Igamane – though the latter could be argued for after Kyogo Furuhashi left for Rennes – but the man who led by example in Rangers’ first league win over their bitter rivals since May 2023, replacing injured captain James Tavernier.
“I believe Raskin is a really talented player. “A real good player,” says McCall, who was most recently seen in the dugout for League Two club Clyde.
“He is the one player, I think, who could go in the Celtic team.”
To say Raskin has put his nagging injury concerns behind him after signing for £1.7 million from Belgian club Standard Liege is an understatement.
The 23-year-old has now played the entire 90 minutes in 13 of the club’s previous 16 Premier League games, as well as the last five in the Europa League.
Clement attributes Raskin’s remarkable turnaround in his Rangers career to his growing understanding of the importance of nutrition, as well as the type of experience he lacked as a young man.
Philippe Clement discusses Raskin’s comeback at Rangers
“The biggest difference with Nico is that, physically, he’s taking really good steps,” Clement remarked following the team’s 1-1 Europa League match with Tottenham Hotspur. “He spoke to himself about the diet. That is also something the club is assisting with. So the chef at the club assists Nico with his food.
“Nico is still a young player, but he’s making significant tactical decisions about what to do at what time. Football is a game with many details to master, and Nico is quickly learning. Same with Dio and Conor Barron. All of the young midfielders are interesting talents.
“The midfield is the engine of the team. It is critical to accomplish the appropriate things at the right time while also maintaining excellent game management. To eliminate transitions, to have good positioning, but also to be available and to know where to play and where to place the balls.
“So, yeah, I’m really happy with the evolution of Nico, but not only him.”
