It is fair to say that it has not been the start to the season that Glasgow Rangers were hoping for in the Scottish Premiership under Philippe Clement.
The Light Blues have lost three and drawn two of their opening 14 matches in the division and that has left them a whopping 11 points behind Celtic in the title race, and below Aberdeen in the table.
Clement’s side have suffered losses to Kilmarnock, Celtic, and Aberdeen in the Scottish top-flight, which has left them with plenty of work to do to catch up with their rivals.
Football Insider recently reported that the Belgian head coach is under mounting pressure but that he is set to remain in post until after the League Cup final clash with the Hoops at Hampden Park later this month.
Patrick Stewart is due to officially start as CEO after that match and the report claimed that his first decision on the board could be to make a call on the future of the former Monaco boss.
Clement, therefore, needs to keep picking up strong results to show the board and Stewart that he deserves more time at Ibrox, and ensuring that his key players – including Nicolas Raskin – continue to shine is key to that.
Nicolas Raskin's form this season
Whilst the season as a whole has been disappointing for the Gers so far, the manager has helped the Belgian central midfielder to thrive in the middle of the park since his return from injury.
The 23-year-old star was out from July to September through injury, missing nine competitive matches, and has come back to emerge as a regular starter alongside Connor Barron in midfield.
Raskin has started eight of his 11 appearances in the Premiership and three of his five outings in the Europa League this term, which shows how much trust Clement has had in him, despite his injury issues.
Appearances
11
Starts
Eight
Pass accuracy
90%
Tackles per game
3.1
Ground duel success rate
66%
Aerial duel success rate
62%
As you can see in the table above, the former Standard Liege star has been a terrific anchor at the base of the Rangers midfield in the Scottish top-flight so far this season.
He has offered reliability in possession as well as incredibly strong defensive work, winning the majority of his duels on the ground and in the air, whilst making over three tackles per game on average.
Clement and Rangers could elevate his game to another level, however, by swooping to sign Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka when the January transfer window officially opens for business next month.
Rangers linked with Premier League starlet
The Boot Room recently reported that the Scottish giants have been offered the chance to sign the England U21 international ahead of the second half of the season.
It was claimed that both Rangers and Celtic have been told that the former Aston Villa prospect is available in January and that the Blues would be willing to send him to Glasgow on loan.
The outlet added that the Premier League giants would also be prepared to sell Chukwuemeka on a permanent basis, but did not reveal how much they would want for the 21-year-old gem, whom they paid £20m for in 2022.
Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not Celtic or Rangers are ready to take Chelsea up on their offer to sign the English talent, the Austrian-born gem has been offered to clubs across Europe, which suggests that there could end up being plenty of competition for his signature.
The Boot Room claimed that Chukwuemeka is not a part of Enzo Maresca’s plans at Stamford Bridge and it has been agreed that he will be allowed to explore a potential exit in January, as the midfielder is ready to move on from the club.
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With this in mind, Nils Koppena and Clement, should he still be in a job come January, should push hard to win the race to sign the Chelsea youngster, because he could be a perfect partner to help Raskin to elevate his game.
Why Carney Chukwuemeka would be perfect for Nicolas Raskin
Firstly, the Blues gem stands at 6 foot 2 and could offer the height and physicality that the 5 foot 10 Belgian whiz does not offer in the middle of the park, which could help the Gers against taller and stronger teams, particularly in Europe.
Chukwuemeka is also a player with the attacking potential to come in and thrive at the top end of the pitch for the Light Blues, which is an area in which Raskin has struggled.
The current Rangers star is yet to register a goal or an assist in the Premiership so far this season and has only created 0.6 chances per game in the division, which shows that he has struggled to make things happen in the final third.
Having a midfielder next to him, or in the number ten position in front of the double pivot, could allow Raskin to solely focus on his defensive work and then recycling possession to find the likes of Chukwuemeka, Ianis Hagi, Nedim Bajrami, and Vaclav Cerny in dangerous areas.
Villa U18s
26
10
8
Villa U21s
29
3
5
England U19s
13
6
0
Villa first-team
16
0
1
Chelsea first-team
31
2
1
As you can see in the table above, the 21-year-old showed plenty of promise at youth level for club and country as a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position.
His statistics do not seem great on paper at first-team level but he has only started six Premier League games for Villa and Chelsea combined to date, which means that the youngster has not had an opportunity to showcase his quality on a regular basis.
James Norris, who played with him at youth level, once claimed that Chukwuemeka is a “a bit like Pogba”, which is a comparison which makes sense when you consider his attacking potential and height in a midfield role.
Villa insider Charlie Jennings, when speaking to Sempre Milan amid links to AC Milan, illustrated the youngster’s strengths by saying:
“Carney is an outstanding ball carrier from deep areas of the midfield. He is known for marauding, mind-boggling dribbles through tight areas and compliments this with a delightful array of passes.”
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Pogba, who scored 39 goals and provided 48 assists in 233 games for Manchester United, offered similar qualities in the middle of the park, and Rangers could find their own version of him in a swoop for Chukwuemeka, who could then elevate Raskin’s game by allowing him to focus solely on his best qualities as a ball winner and passer from deep.