FC Utrecht boss Ron Jans has confirmed he wants to complete the permanent signing of Sam Lammers from Rangers this summer.
The Dutchman called the on-loan Gers forward a “great striker” after his late goal in the 2-2 draw with RKS Waalwijk rescued a point on 28 April, expressing his sincere hope that the 26-year-old remains at the Eredivisie side past the end of his temporary deal.
Lammers scored just two goals for Rangers in 31 appearances as he struggled to adapt after arriving from Atalanta in the summer, but has now scored eight in his past seven outings in the Dutch top flight.
Jans said, via the Daily Record: “Sam was perhaps the worst player on the pitch for us, but I never even considered taking him off. He has simply built up too much credit with us for that. Sam is really a great striker. I sincerely hope we can keep him.”
Rangers to recoup cash on failed Sam Lammers transfer?
It is clearly in the interests of all involved if a deal can be worked out between Rangers and Utrecht for Lammers, and everything will now come down to money.
His move to the SPFL simply never worked out, and while he was far from the only summer signing under Michael Beale that didn’t hit the ground running he is arguably the one who produced the least from the greatest number of opportunities.
If anything, his form back in his homeland slightly vindicates Beale’s decision to spend around £3.5million on him [Rangers Review, 14 January] when his scoring record was so weak in recent seasons, but whether Rangers can make that money back now is open to debate.
His struggles in Glasgow don’t put the Light Blues in a great negotiating position since they so obviously would rather shift him, but his excellent record at Utrecht, and indeed Jans’ public comments, somewhat weaken their stance as well.
It will continue to sting for Rangers supporters to think of what that money could have gone towards this term, especially since Philippe Clement ultimately made the title race so tight, but anything back at this point would be a bonus.
The Belgian is expected to instigate a clear out at Ibrox this summer so he will need all the transfer budget he can muster to restock, but at the very least Lammers has boosted his value significantly from when he left Ibrox three months ago.
In other Rangers news, a Gers-loving first-team player has already agreed to leave the club.
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