Over the summer transfer window, Rangers were incredibly active under the management of Michael Beale, as the Englishman made nine additions to his side.
The intent was to build a team ready to pip Celtic to the Scottish Premiership title, but after a slow start to the campaign with a number of the new additions struggling for form, Beale was sacked and replaced by Philippe Clement.
Since taking over, the Belgian has breathed new life into Rangers’ season and has them competing on all fronts, and with the January transfer window around the corner, plans are already being put in place to strengthen the Light Blues’ side.
However, after an expensive summer, there is an expectation that players may have to be sold to fund further incomings, and one player some have suggested could depart Ibrox in January is Sam Lammers.
Writing for the Daily Record (15 November), Fraser Wilson said: “Lammers, Dessers, Rabbi Matondo, Ridvan Yilmaz, Dujon Sterling, Kieran Dowell… all part of a total wage bill that’s bigger than Celtic’s but struggling to make much impact on the pitch.
“If a decent offer came in for any of them, would it be worth cutting their losses in a bid to bring in better quality?
“One thing’s for sure: if Rangers have any ambition of clawing the title back, they need to have a successful January window.”
While nothing is set in stone for the Dutchman’s future, it is a damning indication of his time with Rangers so far that some are already suggesting that the Light Blues’ should cut their losses on the attacking midfielder after only a matter of months.
The 26-year-old has only found the net twice in his first 23 appearances for the Gers and has been widely criticized for his ineffectiveness when deployed just behind the striker. Just before the international break, he was dropped to the bench by Clement, with Tom Lawrence preferred in the number 10 role.
Lawrence is one of a number of players who would prefer to play in Lammers’ position, including Todd Cantwell and Kieran Dowell, and given Duthcman’s slow start in Scotland, any of the other three options would likely be a better choice.
Beale spent £3 million to bring the 26-year-old to Rangers this summer [Sky Sports, 16 June], and you would have to imagine that the Light Blues would happily cut their losses if they were offered a similar fee during the January window.
That money could allow Clement to add a much-needed sprinkling of quality to his Rangers’ side as they aim to catch Celtic in the title race. Whether or not any team would be willing to pay that sort of fee for Lammers’ services remains unknown, but it feels as though an early exit cannot be ruled out.
