Sam Lammers admits he did not expect to leave Scottish Premiership challengers Rangers during the January transfer window but the offer provided by FC Utrecht convinced him to take in another spell in the Eredivisie.
If his first few weeks at the Stadion Galgenwaald are anything to go by, Sam Lammers probably made the right call when Utrecht made their interest known early in the January transfer window.
In just five games, the revitalised frontman has three assists as well as a goal to his name, ending his drought with a brilliant finish from a tight angle against Fortuna Sittard. His first since hitting the target for Rangers versus Dundee in November.
Sam Lammers back to life after Rangers exit
Lammers’ explosive early impact has helped Utrecht equal a 33-year-old unbeaten run in the Eredivisie too, a change of scenery working wonders for a man who’s confidence and form is flowing back.
“(An Ibrox exit) was unexpected, after a period with a lot of playing time,” Lammers, who joined Rangers in a £3 million deal from Atalanta in June, tells Voetbal International. “I had signed a four-year a contract in Scotland with the intention of staying in the same place for a long time.
“I didn’t have to leave either. FC Utrecht registered (their interest) and immediately took action. That played a role in my choice last month.
“The decisive action, the positive conversations with Jordy Zuidam (technical director) and Ron Jans (head coach), the confidence I felt, the club as a whole, my ambition to continue playing full matches every week…
“It became a nice package.”
Future at Ibrox uncertain
Lammers, after a difficult couple of years, is now scoring and creating goals at a regular rate for the first time since that prolific spell at Heerenveen back in 2019. A return to Rangers is not out of the question – there is no purchase clause in his Utrecht contract after all – but it is interesting to note that Lammers is not ruling out extending his stay in central Netherlands either.
“I want continue helping Utrecht secure a place in the rankings where the club belongs. That means reaching European football,” Lammers adds. “I want to show what I have learned in recent years, I want to increase my returns and make a good contribution to FC Utrecht.”
“We have not looked beyond this half of the season. We will see what happens next after this season. But, during the period that I am here, I want to have an impact.”
