The Rangers man has made quite the impression out on loan, it’s fair to say. But maybe he’s doing a little too well.
The club who signed him during the January transfer window have already admitted that they had to alter the budget a little in order to finance even a loan deal for a player who joined Rangers for a cool £3 million in the Mick Beale era.
So, if FC Utrecht are to stand any chance of turning Sam Lammers‘ temporary deal into a permanent one, they will be praying that the reports suggesting Rangers are ready to accept a significant financial loss on the revitalised Dutchman are not wide of the mark.
Lammers, his form in the Eredivisie in stark contrast to the Premiership performances which painted the picture of a confidence-sapped footballer at rock bottom, has been nothing short of talismanic at Utrecht. Scoring for the sixth straight game in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Go Ahead Eagles, the former PSV Eindhoven prospect now has eight in just 14 league matches.
The last time he was this prolific – during that loan spell at Heerenveen five years ago – Gareth McAuley, Joe Worrall, Kyle Lafferty and Eros Grezda were still Rangers players.
Rangers have to make a Sam Lammers decision
“The discussion is now underway to retain Lammers for FC Utrecht,” reporter Ben ten Boden writes for De Utrechtse Internet Courant.
“I would still do everything I can to ensure Lammers a longer stay at the Galgenwaard (Stadium). Frans (Seumeren, Utrecht president) and his billionaires have to provide the money.”
Lammers, a fortnight ago, admitted that he expects talks over a permanent departure from Rangers to take place sooner rather than later. The well-travelled and suddenly-swaggering forward is also open to the idea of staying at an Utrecht side chasing European qualification and only three points off Dutch giants Ajax in the Eredivisie table.
But Martijn Krabbendam, the experienced Dutch journalist, cannot help but wonder why a footballer of such obvious talent has had to wait half-a-decade to replicate the form that earned him a £9 million move to Atalanta back in 2019.
If it is not a question of ability, then Krabbendam asks if the issue is maybe a bit of a mental one, Lammers’ largely ineffective displays in Rangers blue creating the impression that this was a classic ‘confidence player’ shorn of exactly that.
Can Utrecht afford a permanent deal?
“Certainly, he is also a beautiful player to watch,” Krabbendam tells the Rondje Eredivisie podcast. “However, there is something missing. It can’t just be those coaches who have not given him confidence, can it?
“There must be something in his game or character that would need to improve to take that step higher.”
Interestingly, Philippe Clement, having sanctioned Lammers’ exit in January, is refusing to rule out a return to Ibrox for the one-time Eintracht Frankfurt striker once his time at Utrecht comes to an end. Following a dismal 0-0 draw with Dundee in which The Gers struggled to create even a single ‘clear cut’ chance, there may still be room for a player of Lammers’ ability, even if doubts persist about his ability to thrive outside the borders of his home country.
“I didn’t speak with him but we will make this evaluation,” said Clement. “Like I said also about all the rest after the season and to see how everybody performed in this period.
“Not only me, that’s together with the people of the board to make the right decisions to make a really strong squad and even a better squad next season.”
