Andy Halliday has urged his former club Rangers to spend big money bringing Scotland internationalist Lewis Ferguson to Ibrox this summer if they sell their Belgium midfielder Nico Raskin.
Raskin, who helped his national team to come from behind and draw 1-1 with Egypt in their opening World Cup game on Monday, is widely expected to leave Glasgow during the close season.
The 14-times capped 25-year-old, who has been linked with a move to Atalanta in Italy this week, is under contract until 2028 and is expected to command a fee in the region of £20m if he moves on.
Former Rangers midfielder Halliday believes his old club should use the cash they bank from the sale of the player to bring in former Hamilton and Aberdeen man Ferguson, the son and nephew of Ibrox greats Derek and Barry respectively, from Bologna.
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“Lewis Ferguson ticks boxes for Rangers,” he said at the launch of the William Hill Premiership fixture list. “I do think it's of vital importance to get homegrown players, players who know the league, in. But Rangers still need quality within their squad. Lewis ticks both of those boxes.
“I think Derek's going to look for that mould of player – a guy with character and desire, who knows what it's like to play in Scotland, who knows what the club's all about and who can get in around the younger players within the squad because Rangers do have a fairly young squad.
“The only question is, ‘What is the value of a player that's done ever so well in Serie A?’. Not last season, but the previous season he was the best midfielder in the league. He is also the captain of Bologna. The fee could be the only real stumbling block.
“But it's inevitable that a couple of players at Rangers and Celtic are going to have a lot of interest in them. Now what fee can Rangers demand for Nico Raskin? Could you go and use that for Lewis? It's as simple as that.
“Nico's at the World Cup, I thought he actually came on and made a really positive impact for Belgium. So I think you use this money and get a player that you know is a ready-made replacement.”
Rangers brought in Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland from Hearts earlier this month and Halliday is confident that new manager Derek McInnes, who was finally confirmed as Danny Rohl’s replacement on Wednesday, will concentrate on landing homegrown players and recruit well.
“Derek's always done that,” he said. “One of my favourite stats a couple of years ago was that Derek McInnes had signed 40 odd players at Kilmarnock and 41 of them were Scottish or British.
“What do we praise Derek McInnes' teams for? For their character and resilience. That's because the players he's recruiting, he obviously dives deeper into what type of person they are.
“I remember hearing him talk about every Jamestown Analytics player that came to his door at Hearts. He wanted to make sure he had a conversation with them first and get a vibe off them with their character. Some of them he never took on because of that.
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“The one he would speak about was Claudio Braga. When he had a chat with him the character just beamed out – he had a big vibrant smile, he was delighted to be coming to Scotland. That's the type of players he looks for.”
McInnes has been linked with a move for his former Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin, but Halliday, who played alongside the Australian internationalist during his time at Tynecastle, is unsure
“I don't think it's a no-brainer,” he said. “Cammy’s in a position with how well he's done that he deserves the speculation, deserves a move. But I've seen so many players that have done ever so well outside the Old Firm and can’t make that jump in terms of quality.
“Character-wise, 100 per cent. I think he'd be a brilliant player for the dressing room. But would Cammy Devlin come in and immediately improve Rangers’ starting XI? I'm not too sure.
“I think that's one that you maybe sign and see. It’s a free transfer, it's very low-risk. Derek knows him better than anyone, so it wouldn't surprise me whatsoever if there was interest in there.
“Do I think he'd be a good signing? Don't get me wrong, he would be. But would he immediately improve a starting XI? I'm not sure.”
Andy Halliday was speaking on behalf of SPFL sponsors, William Hill, on the launch of the 2026/27 William Hill SPFL fixtures.
