NICOLAS Raskin says he can’t wait to get started at Rangers after the 21-year-old signed a long-term deal at the club from Standard Liege earlier today, subject to a work permit being confirmed.
The talented midfielder, who featured for the Belgian side when they visited Ibrox in the Europa League in December 2020, becomes Michael Beale’s second signing after Todd Cantwell arrived earlier this month.
Speaking exclusively to RangersTV after sealing his move to Glasgow, Raskin spoke of his delight at joining the Ibrox club: “I feel very excited to be here. I also feel very proud to join a very big club. I’m looking forward to playing at Ibrox.
"I’m looking forward to making my debut and I hope it can be as soon as possible. I’m looking forward to playing at Ibrox.”
The 21-year-old admits that his conversations with Beale were the defining factor in his decision to join Rangers, insisting he’s confident that the transition from Belgian to Scottish football will be seamless.
He continued: “We spoke about my position in the squad. The manager convinced me to come because I had a few other offers, but it was good how the manager spoke to me. I wanted to come directly after he spoke to me.
“I wanted to come here because I feel that the manager can improve me. It’s a big club so you can always improve a lot. I was playing at a club in Belgium that was almost the little brother of this club.
"When the manager was talking to me and explaining everything, I said to him that it looked like the big brother of the club I was at.
“I needed to move from Belgium to grow. It’s good for me because my team in Belgium, we are very famous and the fans are good. I love to play with the pressure and the standards are high, which is what I need to improve myself.”
Raskin was a second half substitute for Standard Liege at Ibrox when the Gers ran out 3-2 winners over the Belgian outfit in 2020, and the midfielder hopes that he can make European memories in a Rangers shirt.
He added: “In my young career I have played once in the Europa League. It was crazy, and I remember we played against Rangers. I was sad because it was COVID-19 and when we came here there wasn’t fans in the stadium.
"I knew the fans here were incredible. I was so happy when we drew Rangers, but after that I had to say OK. I remember Ibrox as a very big stadium and Rangers were a very good team, so now I’m happy to be part of this team. I’m looking forward to playing at this level.
“I know how European games go and you have to play every three days. I’m looking forward to something new because I want to play in the Champions League. I’ve only played in the Europa League for one year, and I now want to play in Europe every season and fight for trophies every year. That’s why I came here.”