As it was coming up to 6PM last night, fans seemed resigned to the fact that they would have to wait another day for Sam Lammers, that wasn’t to be the case though. Bang on 6PM the club tweeted to confirm the capture of the 26-year-old Dutchmen from Atalanta on a four year deal. The fee is thought to be around £3m as Michael Beale looks to revitalize the Rangers forward line. In Friday’s transfer update we’ll look at what Lammers and Michael Beale had to say on the transfer, the latest on Jonathan Panzo and Scott Arfield’s next career move.
Lammers Joins Rangers
As previously mentioned the deal was confirmed via the Rangers official website last night, this is what Lammers had to say on joining the club;
I am really excited to join Rangers, my first impressions have all been good so I am even more excited for the season to start now.
I came in contact with the manager and he came over to see me in Italy, we had a good talk and he gave me a presentation about the club and about how I could fit in so ever since that moment I was excited for this project and to get here.
I already knew some things about Rangers, I know the history, I know it is a massive club in Scotland and also worldwide but it is always a good thing to have the personal side of it.
Sam Lammers on joining Rangers via the clubs official website
There had been rumours that Michael Beale was speaking to a player from Sampdoria. However, most of those reports suggested the player in question was Harry Winks. These rumours were floating around as far back as April, that shows how keen Beale is on the Dutchmen. He’s had all this time to mull over the transfer and he’s the player he wanted. Lammers is a player that he wanted to splash £3m on.
Michael Beale knows he has to get all his transfers right this window, especially with that kind of outlay. That is what gives me faith and helps me ignore the stats. He is being brought in to fit Michael Beale’s system, so I trust the manager on that. Watching footage of him, he definitely passes the eye test. He’s so good with the ball at his feet and getting out of tight spaces past defenders. He is a player I’m excited to see and a Dutchmen taking the number 14? If he’s half the player Ronald de Boer was, we’re on to a winner.
Michael Beale on Sam Lammers
The gaffer seems delighted to have got the man he’s been courting since April. He had this to say on the deal;
Sam is a player I have been aware of for a number of years. I first knew him as a young player at PSV and have followed his career closely from afar and he excelled in Holland both in the Eredivisie and the under-21 national team.
Sam will give us great technical and tactical quality, being able to play in a variety of attacking positions as a number 10 or nine. He was the first player I met with as part of the planning for the new season and during our lengthy discussions, it was clear that we share the same ideas on football and on his personal development moving forward. He has a strong alignment to the other players in our squad.
Having recently turned 26, he brings a wealth of experience having already played in the top leagues in Holland, Germany and Italy. We are delighted he is joining us at Rangers and I’m looking forward to working closely with him.
Michael Beale on Sam Lammers via the clubs official website
The fact that Beale states Lammers was the first player he met with is huge. Being the first player a manager looks to bring in, in the midst of a huge rebuild is a massive vote of confidence. Michael Beale has proven in both spells that he knows how to spot a talent player and hopefully Lammers is another one.
Very interesting that he mentions the Dutchmen potentially playing as a nine AND a ten. He definitely has the technical capabilities to play a bit deeper but what does that mean for number nine position? The Cyriel Dessers deal is rumoured to still be in progress but is another striker being looked at for the second striker spot? Josh Maja maybe?
Extremely positive words from the manager on a player he was seemingly desperate to bring in. Beale did mention bringing in players with top level experience. Having played in the Serie A, Bundesliga and the Europa League, Lammers definitely fits that mould. As Previously mentioned, I’m excited for this one and the managers joy at the deals completion ups my excitement levels even further.
Who’s Next?
Michael Beale also had this to say on upcoming transfers;
We are ahead of schedule in our plans.
The coming weeks will see more trading both in and out of the squad as we prepare for the season ahead. We have key areas of focus and we are close to securing our targets in those positions.
Michael Beale via the clubs official website
As interesting as it’ll be to see who arrives next, it’ll be even more interesting to see who goes. There’s been rumoured interest in Glen Kamara from Italy, France and Southampton. Apart from that though, there hasn’t been many rumours of other clubs interest in Rangers players. All of those discussions could be taking place behind closed doors, of course, but normally by now there would be some kind of rumours of outgoings.
Back to incoming transfers and the race for Jonathan Panzo still appears to be on per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano;
Well ‘many clubs want him’ is normally a good sign of the quality of a player. The rumoured fee is supposedly £2.5m and Rangers appeared to be in the driving seat due to Panzo’s relationship with Michael Beale, whom he worked with at Chelsea. Read the latest transfer update here.
Scott Arfield
A more solemn transfer update, we all knew it was coming, but it was still sad to see the confirmation of his move to another club, Michael Bridge of Sky Sports broke the news last night;
Conclusion
Sam Lammers is an exciting addition and despite, at one point, it looking like Rangers could’ve had more through the door this week, the window literally only opened on Wednesday. Deals for Cifuentes, Dessers and Panzo all seem to be in the works and hopefully we’ll get some updates on them later today or over the weekend.
That’s Friday’s Rangers transfer update, one in this week, could there be three in next week?