Philippe Clement knows that in order to bring in his own transfer targets to Glasgow Rangers this summer, he will be expected to move on several first team players.
This may be easier said than done, especially as there appears to be interest in a player who spent the second half of last season out on loan in the Netherlands – Sam Lammers.
Beale signing could be set to leave Rangers
The Dutchman joined FC Utrecht in January and proceeded to score 11 goals in just 20 matches for the Eredivisie side between then and the end of the campaign, putting his dismal showings in Glasgow firmly behind him.
This led to links that they were going to make the move permanent when the summer came around, although Lammers would have to take a pay cut in order to make a move happen.
Now, according to Dutch outlet Voetbal international, Twente are now lining up a move for the former Atalanta forward in order to bolster their squad.
The Light Blues are seeking a fee of around £2.5m in order to part ways with Lammers, which means they will lose around £500k on the Dutchman, having spent £3m to sign him last summer.
Selling the 26-year-old is the best for both parties this summer, allowing Lammers to continue his remarkable form while giving Clement a licence to go out and sign a more able replacement.
Sam Lammers’ total cost at Rangers
The Ibrox side were in desperate need of some attacking reinforcements last summer as Michael Beale lost the likes of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos. This meant a move for Lammers, who joined in June, but it was a move which soon turned sour.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt gem was taking home around £18k-per-week, as per Salary Sport, with that figure notably more than both Abdallah Sima (£8.5k-per-week) and John Souttar (£8.1k-per-week) combined.
That is startling considering on-loan hero Sima netted 16 times in all competitions last season after cementing himself as a leading figure at Ibrox, while Souttar held the fort defensively after making 41 appearances in all competitions.
|
Sam Lammers domestic statistics during 2023/24 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Metric |
FC Utrecht |
Rangers |
|
Goals |
10 |
2 |
|
Assists |
3 |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
5 |
1 |
|
Shots per game |
3.4 |
2.5 |
|
Key passes per game |
1.1 |
0.3 |
Lammers made 31 appearances for the Gers yet managed to find the back of the net on just two occasions, both coming in the Premiership.
Among his teammates, the forward ranked just 13th for goals and assists (three) in the league while also ranking in a lowly 18th position for big chances created (one), 28th for key passes per game (0.3) and sixth for successful dribbles per game (1.1), clearly proving that he wasn’t good enough succeed in Glasgow.
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Additionally, Lammers cost Rangers £1.5m per goal scored, which is yet more evidence of just how poor a signing he turned out to be.
This doesn’t mean that he is a bad player, far from that. His form in the Netherlands has demonstrated that when Lammers is playing within his comfort zone, he can be excellent.
Clearly, Scottish football proved to be far too physical for him to really showcase his wonderful technical abilities and this was his downfall.
Recouping £2.5m for him might be one of the best pieces of transfer business Clement does this summer, especially considering how badly he performed at the Light Blues.
