Philippe Clement’s honeymoon period at Glasgow Rangers has been an enjoyable one to say the least.
He has racked up seven matches undefeated while securing progress to the League Cup final along with a realistic chance of progressing in the Europa League.
Considering how poor the Gers had been up until Michael Beale was sacked, it has been some turnaround by the Belgian in order to get a tune out of a squad that looked like they were stagnating.
The former QPR boss failed to inspire the club from the moment the 2023/24 campaign kicked off, as they lost to Kilmarnock in their Premiership opener and things started to spiral downwards from there.
The Gers failed to qualify for the Champions League group stages while also suffering defeat to Celtic at Ibrox at the beginning of September and the writing was on the wall for Beale.
By the start of October, he was gone and Clement has had to pick up the pieces. The 49-year-old has revitalised the club, despite inheriting Beale’s summer signings.
The likes of Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers cost £4.5m and £3m respectively, but they have failed to live up to these lavish fees during their brief spells in Glasgow so far.
Clement could certainly turn their fortunes around in the coming months and, although he has endured a poor start, Lammers’ transfer value has actually increased, indicating that the move may benefit the Gers still.
Sam Lammers’ market value at Atalanta
The Dutchman has endured a nomadic career over the previous few years, playing for five different clubs since the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
He joined Atalanta at the start of that season and featured 17 times across all competitions, scoring just two goals in the process.
This poor run of form led the forward to spend time out on loan, turning out for Eintracht Frankfurt – winning the Europa League against the Light Blues – Empoli and Sampdoria.
Despite mainly playing as a striker, Lammers scored just four goals during those two seasons spent away from his parent club, hardly encouraging statistics to say the least, especially from a centre-forward.
His highest market value during his spell at the Serie A club, however, was €6.4m (£5.5m) according to Football Transfers, although it was declining before Rangers made their move in the summer.
Beale obviously saw something he liked in the Dutchman, and he moved to the Gers in June, ready for pre-season.
Sam Lammers’ season in numbers
Despite his lacklustre record in front of goal, Beale was clearly delighted to bolster his attacking department with the 26-year-old, saying: “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.”
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He did score against Newcastle United during Allan McGregor’s testimonial prior to the start of the season, and it looked as though things might work out well for the player.
At the time of writing, Lammers has managed to find the back of the net on just two occasions for the Light Blues, while grabbing a meagre tally of two assists across 23 competitive matches.
Lammers has spent the majority of the campaign operating as a number ten, just behind the main striker, yet it hasn’t done much for his confidence.
With Beale being relieved of his duties and Clement arriving, it looked as though a fresh start could do him the world of good.
Against Dundee at the start of the month in what was the Belgian’s fourth match in charge, it looked as though Lammers’ fortune was about to turn.
The 26-year-old was in stunning form as he scored a screamer from the edge of the box, while also setting up another goal, causing the Dundee defence all sorts of problems.
The two-footed star also created one big chance and made a key pass, along with registering five shots in total throughout the tie.
It was a performance which looked like it could transform his spell in Glasgow and Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie hailed the forward, saying: “What a finish from Sam Lammers – stunning finish from range.
“He’s had a tough time as of late but that was a great moment. Turns his man, moves onto his left and finds the net spectacularly.”
It proved to be a false dawn, however, as he hasn’t scored since, yet his valuation has soared.
Sam Lammers’ market valuation at Rangers
Although he has really failed to get the supporters behind him, minus one or two golden moments, the former PSV Eindhoven gem could well prove to be a decent signing simply due to how much he is now worth.
According to Football Transfers, Lammers is now currently valued at €6.1m (£5.3m) and this appears to be rising on a consistent basis.
It might not appear that way, but the Light Blues look like they have struck gold with the signing of the 6 foot 3 gem and if he does hit the ground running in the next few weeks, his value could rise swiftly.
It could give Clement some leverage if he aims to move him on in the near future, ensuring that the club receive a profit on the £3m they splashed out on him in June.
With a hectic run of fixtures ahead until the winter break – 12 games will be played over the next 38 days – Clement will have to utilise his squad the best he can in order to gain maximum efficiency.
This suggests Lammers will get more than a few chances to show his worth and if he wants to remain at the club for the long term, he has got to be showing more.
What better time to start than with a cup final to win and European progression to be sealed.