Barry Ferguson wonders if the signing of Sam Lammers at Ibrox means former Bayern Munich loanee Malik Tillman will not be returning for a second spell at Rangers.
At 6ft 3ins, those of you not yet au fait with the former PSV Eindhoven, Eintracht Frankfurt and Atalanta forward may be forgiven for assuming that Sam Lammers will bring physicality and aerial prowess to the Ibrox dressing room.
You only need to fire up YouTube and watch the highlights from his outstanding 2018/19 season at Heerenveen, however, to realise that Lammers’ towering frame stands in contrast to his silky skillset. More a Dimitar Berbatov than a Ducan Ferguson; the 26-year-old Dutchman is stylish, skilful and loves to drop deep and pick up possession.
“I have watched a fair bit of footage, and he can play the ‘number ten’ position,” former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson tells Go Radio. “He can play ‘number nine’ or ‘ten’. But I think ‘ten’. suits him better.”
Malik Tillman may miss out on Rangers return
Lammers, then, may not be a replacement for Alfredo Morelos – as some had initially suggested – but instead a man brought in to fill a Malik Tillman-shaped hole in Mick Beale’s attack.
The USA international was a big hit during a 2022/23 loan spell in Glasgow; finding the net 12 times and setting up five more.
“He is obviously a fine young player,” Beale told Sky Sports in May. “And he has performed well for the club so far this season. Me and Malik are in a great place on a personal level.
“He’s been brilliant for the club and I think brilliant for me in my time here. He’s a player I think has a really high ceiling. As high as anyone I’ve worked with in my time here at Rangers.
Bayern Munich have reneged on their agreement to sell Tillman to the Gers for a fee in the region of £5 million, however. Interest from Premier League duo Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion potentially sparking a bidding war for a man who could soon be heading out of the Allianz Arena for a much larger fee (Kicker).
And Ferguson wonders if Premier League interest, plus the subsequent arrival of Lammers, draws a line under any lingering hopes Beale had of working with Tilman again.
“That looks as if it has went pear-shaped,” he adds. “That (Tillman) deal.”
