Glasgow Rangers went into Sunday's clash already at Ibrox knowing that the result was more or less immaterial as their second-placed finish has already been confirmed.
Since their city rivals won the Scottish Premiership title at the end of last month, Rangers have known that they cannot finish as low as third and they cannot win the division, leaving the Light Blues stuck in second place with little to play for in the remaining games of the season.
The Light Blues should already be focused on what they need to do in the upcoming summer transfer window in order to turn the tide and compete for the title in the 2025/26 campaign.
A new first-team head coach will be a big part of their plans because Barry Ferguson is currently in interim charge until the end of the season, having come in to steady the ship after Philippe Clement was dismissed earlier this year.
barry-ferguson-rangers
However, the Scottish giants will also know that they will have some difficulties on their hands when it comes to dealing with interest in their stars from elsewhere.
For example, Premier League sides Aston Villa and Leeds United are reportedly lining up moves for Nicolas Raskin, who is valued at £20m by the Gers, ahead of the summer window.
Why losing Nicolas Raskin would be a big blow for Rangers
If Leeds or Villa are able to complete a deal for the former Standard Liege star, losing the Belgium international would be a big blow for Rangers and the next manager to walk through the doors at Ibrox.
Raskin recently won the Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year at the club's awards night, which speaks to how highly the supporters and his own teammates value his performances this season.
The central midfielder has combined impressive play on the ball, scoring two goals and providing nine assists, with dominant defensive work out of possession, making 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game and winning 58% of his duels, across 31 appearances in the Premiership.
Raskin also caught the eye with his fantastic performances for the Light Blues in the Europa League before the club were knocked out by Athletic Club in the quarter-finals.
24/25 Europa League Nicolas Raskin
Appearances 12
Tackles per game 3.7
Interceptions per game 1.3
Ball recoveries per game 7.4
Ground duel success rate 50%
Aerial duel success rate 55%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old dynamo excelled at winning the ball back for his side, with a whopping five tackles and interceptions per game on average, and more than held his own in physical battles.
Raskin-Rangers-Ibrox
These statistics reinforce how much of a blow it would be to lose the midfielder to Villa or Leeds this summer because of how impactful he can be in both the Premiership and the Europa League.
However, a fresh report has emerged on the club's interest in a new central midfielder who could come in as a dream replacement for Raskin.
Rangers lining up move for £4m star
According to The Scottish Sun, the 49ers have Basel loanee Metinho at the top of their list of targets ahead of the summer transfer window, once their takeover is finalised.
The report claims that the Light Blues are lining up a move for the central midfielder ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, and that he is valued at £4m at this moment in time.
Metinho is currently on loan at Basel from Troyes, having spent the first half of the year at Sparta Rotterdam, and the Gers are hoping to reach an agreement with the French side in the coming weeks.
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The Scottish Sun adds that there is also interest from several teams in the English Championship and that the 49ers want to fast-track a deal for the young star, which could mean that they bring him in before they even appoint a new manager.
Why Rangers should sign Metinho
Rangers must push to sign Metinho ahead of those teams in England because he could come in as the dream replacement for Raskin in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Signing the 22-year-old star from Troyes could soften the blow of losing the Belgium international, should he move on from Ibrox in the coming months.
Nicolas-Raskin
The Brazilian midfielder struggled for game time with Sparta Rotterdam in the first half of the season, starting two of his 12 appearances in the Eredivisie, before a loan move to Basel sparked his campaign into life.
Since joining the Swiss giants, the £4m-rated star has been a key figure in the middle of the park, starting eight of his ten appearances in the Super League, and has caught the eye with his defensive work.
24/25 Super League Metinho
Appearances 10
Pass accuracy 86%
Tackles per game 3.1
Interceptions per game 1.1
Ball recoveries per game 4.7
Ground duel success rate 69%
Aerial duel success rate 45%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Metinho has averaged 4.2 tackles and interceptions per game, which is more than the 3.6 that Raskin has averaged in the Premiership for Rangers this term, and won an eye-catching 69% of his ground duels.
Clearly, the Troyes starlet still has areas for improvement, including his success in aerial contests in the middle of the park, but he appears to have the raw defensive materials to be an excellent signing for the Scottish giants.
Raskin-Rangers
Metinho could be the dream replacement for Raskin by arriving at Ibrox to provide a similar level of defensive quality in midfield by breaking up attacks with tackles, interceptions, and ball recoveries at a similar rate.
In possession, the Brazilian star also ranks within the top 2% of midfielders in the Men's Next 14 competitions over the last 365 days for progressive carries (3.49) and successful take-ons (1.83) per 90, which shows that he can provide quality as a progressive midfield player as well as being an excellent defender.
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At the age of 22, he is also two years younger than the Belgian star and still has time left on his side to develop and improve further, which is another reason why the youngster could be a fantastic signing for the 49ers to make, irrespective of who the next manager is going to be.