As if life couldn’t get any worse for Nico Raskin West Ham put the tin lid on things by spending £22m on Arne Engels!
Any flickering hope that Raskin had of escaping his Ibrox hell ended on Saturday night when the Engels deal was announced.
Based on a couple of games for Belgium the Gullible & Deluded went on a campaign to convince the world that wee Nicky was much better than big Arne.
While the rest of the football world laughed inside Ibrox they nodded in agreement.
Including the man that thinks Derek McInnes is the Scottish Jurgen Klopp.
Raskin is trapped inside Ibrox.
Bears think that he is twice the player Engels is.
The football market values him at around a third of the £22m that Celtic got from West Ham.
NICO RASKIN- HOW MUCH LONGER DOES HE HAVE TO SUFFER?
Getting £7m for the serial loser would represent brilliant business. But due to the Engles deal angry bears would be chasing their owners out of Falkirk if Raskin was sold for £7m.
According to some it will require an offer of £30m to start negotiations for Raskin.
It will be a long wait for that. Especially for Raskin who is now the longest serving player among the losers at Ibrox.
I’m obv biased but I think Engels has more upside. A more dynamic player around the pitch and only 22.
Raskin done well for Belg but think he has a tendency to go missing when the pressure’s turned up. Good player but I think he’s a lot closer to his ceiling than Engels is his
— Hoops (@selicfan1888) August 14, 2026
Dont agree but irrelevant anyway as 1 of them going doesn’t really affect interest in the other
there wasnt many Celtic fans in Jan that wouldn’t have driven Engels to the airport for the initial Forest £15m bid— Big Greegsy (@BigGreegsy1) August 14, 2026
Engels gos for that price because he has a track record of being successful and being able to handle the pressure when it matters
Raskin is a bottle job with an attitude and is as good as he will ever be right now……now engels is in England watch how much raskin plays for Belg
— 1888 hoops (@kuffdam001) August 15, 2026
Raskin arrived at Ibrox in January 2023. Micky Beale looked into his eyes and decided to build his side around the pint-sized Belgian and Todd Cantwell. It lasted nine months.
The only trophy won at Ibrox in the last four years was the 2023 League Cup win over Aberdeen. Raskin missed the match with a sore tummy.
Beale, Phil Clement, Russell Martin and Danny Rohl all trusted their Belgian play-maker. They won nothing except that one League Cup.
In August 2024 Celtic signed a 20-year-old Belgian midfielder.
He stayed at Celtic for two years, winning two SPFL titles and each of the domestic cup competitions.
Engels made 10 Champions League appearances, Raskin hasn’t had a look in at that competition.
With £22m added to the Celtic bank account Raskin faces St Mirren today knowing that his faint chances of a transfer have virtually ended.
He faces two more seasons at Ibrox. Or Andrew Cavenagh facing the wrath of fans for selling their star player for less than £22m.
NOTE: Standard Liege have a 20% cut on any fee over £1m that comes in for their former ‘star’.
Ex Rangers director of football Nils Koppen hand picking Arne Engels for a Massive transfer to WHU, you’ve got to ask why did he not pick Raskin? Eh?
— The Bold Stavros ? (@TheBoldStavros) August 15, 2026
In all the emotion of Engels leaving, the transfer fee, going to West Ham. I hope Celtic have included a sell on fee. I expect him to go for more than double what West Ham paid in the next 2 years.
If Raskin concentrated on his football instead of niggling and fouling the opposition, getting involved in Arguments with referees and players, he would be the player he is supposed to be.
Is there a growing fued between wee Rascal and Shankland because of the latter being given the captaincy over the diminutive former ? We do know that the Belgian waffler is a bit of a sulk merchant ! It’s one of those things that would give a coacher guy ‘bags ‘ under his mincers ? Like a pair of dogs’ bollocks !
The first part of your comment about Raskin being in a huff gave me cause for thought, the second descriptive part about having bags under the eyes kept making me laugh. I’m stuck with this mental picture now, its the dog’s bollocks of a funny remark!
Great result gettin £22 million for Engels !
Editor: Absolutely- fantastic work from the club, outstanding, just a pity about the huge hole left in the team four days before a Champions League Play Off but doesn’t everyone love those Europa League Thursdays under the lights?