Glasgow Rangers head into the final eight matches of the Premiership season with a wonderful chance of securing a first league crown since 2021.
Celtic stand in the way, with the third Old Firm clash of the season occurring tomorrow afternoon at Ibrox. A win for the Gers will see them move two points clear of their rivals with a game in hand, ensuring the destination of the title remains within their grasp.
Philippe Clement will be buoyed that he could count on the services of the likes of Ridvan Yilmaz and Abdallah Sima, who may be fit to make an appearance against the Parkhead side, giving the Belgian a major boost.
When everyone is fit, the team largely picks itself, but everyone will need to be at the top of their game in order to claim all three points tomorrow.
One key player could be Todd Cantwell, who has shone under Clement.
Todd Cantwell’s statistics this season
Under Michael Beale during the opening weeks of the campaign, Cantwell registered just one assist, looking a far cry from the player that lit up Ibrox between January and May last year.
During Clement’s early tenure, the former Norwich City gem was played on the right wing, which was often detrimental to his performances, but it wasn’t long before he was deployed in his preferred attacking midfield slot.
Since the positional change, Cantwell has added five goals and three assists, proving that playing as a number ten is clearly his most effective position.
Metric
2022/23
2023/24
Goals
6
5
Assists
4
4
Key passes per game
1.3
1.6
Shots on target per game
0.6
0.7
Big chances created
5
5
Among his teammates, Cantwell currently ranks fourth for goals and assists in the top flight (nine), while also ranking third for big chances created (five), fourth for key passes per game (1.6) and fifth for successful dribbles per game (1.1), showcasing his attacking talents throughout the campaign.
Having a player of this quality to call upon makes Clement’s life a lot easier and if he maintains his current form, the 26-year-old could cause Celtic plenty of problems tomorrow.
If things had gone differently, the 50-year-old may have had another player in his ranks who could have been the difference maker, but his spell at Ibrox proved to be a disaster – Sam Lammers.
How much Rangers paid for Sam Lammers
Following the departures of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos last summer, Beale’s main priority was to bring in another couple of attacking options who could replace the two cult figures.
The Englishman had some funds to spend and his first port of call was to splash £3m on signing Lammers from Atalanta in June.
While on the surface it was healthy to see the club spending money attempting to bring in genuine quality, Lammers had scored just six goals across the previous three seasons, hardly the prolific frontman Rangers required.
This should have been a major warning sign for Beale, yet the Dutchman became one of his first summer signings and as time went on, he failed to impress.
Sam Lammers’ record at Rangers
The former Feyenoord player was often used as an attacking midfielder under Beale and Clement during his six-month stint at Ibrox, which failed to really play to his strengths.
The £18k-per-week liability scored just twice and grabbed two assists in 31 appearances for the Light Blues, with his lack of quality in front of goal worrying.
In the top flight, Lammers averaged 2.5 shots per game yet hit the back of the net on just two occasions, while he also missed six big chances in his 17 matches.
The 26-year-old also created just one big chance while averaging 0.3 key passes per game, further evidence that he was out of his depth in Scotland, failing to really give defenders any trouble during games in the top flight.
When the January transfer window opened, Clement was looking to free up some space in his first-team squad for new signings, which meant outgoings were going to happen.
Given his poor start to life in Scotland, Lammers was a clear candidate to be moved on, and he soon joined Dutch side FC Utrecht on a six-month loan deal in order to secure more regular game time and prove to the Belgian that he could shine on the continent.
Sam Lammers’ statistics at FC Utrecht
Maybe it was the pressure and expectations of playing for a club like Rangers as to why Lammers struggled at Ibrox, but he has certainly found his feet back in his homeland over the previous few months.
The forward made his debut for the Eredivisie side on January 14 and, since then, has featured in 12 league matches, scoring five goals while registering three assists.
He is clearly thriving at a club in which the pressure is perhaps not as debilitating as winning every single match while playing for Rangers, while the player is shining among his teammates in the process.
Not only does Lammers rank first in the squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.46) in the top fight, but he also ranks second for shots on target per game (1.3) and big chances created (five) while occupying third spot for key passes per game (1.2), clearly demonstrating how at ease he is back in his homeland.
This form should certainly convince Clement to cash in on Lammers once the summer transfer window rolls around, especially as the Gers could perhaps recoup the majority, if not all, of the £3m that they invested in him last year.
Lammers is even outscoring Cantwell in 2024. The Englishman has scored four goals since the turn of the year, with the Dutchman finding the back of the net on five occasions, proving how successful a loan spell it has been for him.
This proves that Beale has the eye to spot a good player, yet he utilised his skills poorly during his spell in Glasgow, failing to really bring out his best.
With Clement looking to bring in his own players this summer, he should be cashing in on Lammers, especially considering his excellent form of late.
Clement can ditch 5/10 Rangers man by unleashing £12k-p/w star
Rangers face Celtic in the third Old Firm derby of the season on Sunday
ByRoss KilvingtonApr 6, 2024
