When Sam Lammers left Rangers in January, few would consider it likely to have a big impact on the title race.
At least in a negative sense.
The lanky forward, 27, cut a forlorn figure at times at Ibrox, caught in the limbo of the number 10 Michael Beale signed him as and the striker he once emerged in Dutch football to become.
But in the months since the technically gifted player has returned to the Netherlands, Sam Lammers hasn’t so much recaptured his form as he has embraced it.
Now, the latest news coming out of the Eredivisie has got Rangers fans talking as the prolific forward is recognised for his efforts in Holland.
It’s a situation which has brought Rangers’ transfer dealings for the season into sharp focus with the club’s shotshy frontline potentially blowing a shot at title glory.
Lammers earns Utrecht Eredivisie award
Sam Lammers’ form as of late has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Farmed out on loan to Utrecht in January, the forward has 9 goals in 15 games in the Eredivisie. A total of 8 of those have come in his last 7 matches.
As a result of the explosive goalscoring form, Lammers has just been awarded the Eredivisie Player of the Month award for April.
Really, it’s a feat we would’ve deemed unthinkable when the nervous forward was fluffing his lines time and again at Ibrox.
It’s astonishing form which has intensified the summer transfer links, with Rangers increasingly confident they’ll be able to recoup the bulk of the £3m they spent to sign Sam from Atalanta in the summer.
The likes of Feyenoord have even been linked.
But the situation also raises a debate about Rangers’ January transfer business with the player signed to replace Sam fizzling out into a bare disappointment.
Rangers replacement fails to inspire title tilt
Whilst Sam Lammers continues to impress at Utrecht, Fabio Silva hasn’t quite managed to find his feet at Rangers.
Signed on loan from Wolves in January, Rangers fans had hoped that the Portuguese forward would have the kind of impact Lammers has had in the Netherlands.
But the £35m forward really has struggled to make an impact on the Rangers team despite being given consistent chances.
With fives games left to go, reports have claimed that Wolves, Rangers and Fabio Silva have already agreed to part ways come the end of the season.
It’s a big climb down from the player himself coming forward and claiming that he was open to a longer-term switch to Govan in the summer.
The stark contrasts of both players has got Rangers fans talking and ironically, if Fabio Silva had scored eight goals in seven games at Ibrox, we’d probably be leading the title charge.
It begs the question we’ve really all been waiting on since Sam Lammers left for Utrecht in the first place.
Should Rangers, Nils Koppen and the club’s recruitment team have ever let the Dutchman go in January?
Admit it, you’ve been asking yourself this one for a while.
