Rangers set for unexpected cash boost as record-breaking Sam Lammers transfer value shoots up
Sam Lammers left Rangers in January looking anything but a sought-after lethal marksman that clubs would be willing to pay the Light Blues anything much for.
But his stunning turnaround in form since joining FC Utrecht on loan has potentially made him a hot commodity in the Eredivisie, and possibly elsewhere, while almost certainly increasing the value of a player whose worth had plummeted during half a season at Ibrox.
The Dutchman arrived from Atalanta for around £3.5million in the summer [Daily Record, 15 June] with Michael Beale having deemed him an important part of a major overhaul of the Rangers squad, despite Lammers having scored a total of nine goals over the previous four seasons combined while playing for five different clubs.
More of the same followed despite extensive opportunities with the Light Blues, with Philippe Clement offering the 26-year-old the chance to rebound in his side after replacing Beale, but Lammers only managed a total of two goals and two assists from 31 Gers appearances in all competitions.
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Clement decided he had seen enough and packed the misfiring forward off on loan to the Netherlands in January, although at that stage it must have been more in hope than expectation that it would generate substantial transfer interest for the summer.
The likelihood that any club would have made the same mistake as Rangers and spent decent money on a player so devoid of form and confidence seemed fanciful in midwinter.
But Lammers has thrived back in his home country, scoring nine times and assisting three more in just 15 games, and his late equaliser in the 2-2 draw with RKC Waalwijk at the weekend saw him break the club’s record as the first man in Utrecht history to score in seven consecutive Eredivisie game [OptaJohan, 28 April].
After the match manager Ron Jans confirmed he wants to sign the “great” attacker on a permanent deal, after a loan that already has to go down as a spectacular, if unexpected, success in the midseason transfer market.
Whether Utrecht can afford to offer the Light Blues what they paid for Lammers remains to be seen, and it is possible he still moves on for a loss, but it is undeniable that he has increased his transfer value in the past three and a half months.
While Rangers might have even been content to give away a player who had been offering so little in the SPFL, just to get him off the wage bill, there is surely a decent argument that he is a more attractive target now than he was when Beale signed him in the first place.
Nobody in Scotland is going to be banging down the doors at Ibrox to get a shot at him after proving so unsuited to the league, but his form in the Eredivisie has opened the door to even Utrecht’s rivals potentially eyeing an opportunity if his loan club can’t come up with a suitable fee.
It would be a major surprise if Rangers didn’t now agree a permanent deal with someone this summer even if Utrecht are undoubtedly in pole position, but the asking price has definitely gone up since January, so the Ibrox hierarchy can surely expect a cash boost that they wouldn’t have envisaged when he left.
In other Rangers news, an Ibrox favourite admits he is starting to worry about Jack Butland’s situation at the club.
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