Michael Beale was backed by the Glasgow Rangers board throughout the summer transfer window as nine new signings came through the doors at Ibrox.
How much are Rangers' summer signings worth?
The Light Blues have attempted to bolster their side with a number of additions across the park to bounce back from their failure to win a single trophy during the 2022/23 campaign.
Leon Balogun
£213k
Jack Butland
£1.3m
Sam Lammers
£1.7m
Kieran Dowell
£1.7m
Dujon Sterling
£2.4m
Cyriel Dessers
£4.3m
Abdallah Sima
£5.1m
Danilo
£5.6m
Jose Cifuentes
£10.3m
Valuations via Transfermarkt.
Eight of those players arrived on permanent deals, whilst Abdallah Sima joined on a season-long loan – with no option to buy – from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, and they have an average value of £3.62m.
As with any transfer window, supporters may, however, look back at the summer and wonder what could have been with some of the players who were linked with a move to Ibrox before eventually moving elsewhere.
One reported target who could have been an excellent signing by Beale for the Scottish giants is Ross Stewart, who was playing for English Championship side Sunderland. Indeed, he may well have been a better option than Sam Lammers.
Were Rangers interested in Ross Stewart?
At the end of July, TEAMtalk named Rangers as one of a number of clubs interested in signing the Scotland international from the Black Cats.
The report claimed that the forward had turned down offers of a contract extension with Tony Mowbray's team, which made him an attainable target as his deal was due to expire in the summer of 2024.
Championship sides Stoke City, Middlesbrough, and Southampton were also touted as possible destinations for the 6 foot 3 marksman, who appeared to be on his way out of the Stadium of Light.
However, Rangers seemingly decided against a deal for the 27-year-old as they ended up signing Cyriel Dessers, Danilo, and Lammers before Stewart eventually joined Southampton.
They had reportedly been battling the Light Blues for his signature earlier in the summer, but he stayed south of the border, moving to St Mary's for an initial fee of £8m that could rise to £12m with add-ons.
How many goals did Ross Stewart score for Sunderland?
The Scottish finisher, who was reportedly on £2.7k-per-week at the Stadium of Light, racked up an outstanding 40 goals in 80 competitive matches for the Black Cats before his move last week.
He proved himself to be a consistent and reliable scorer for the club at League One and Championship level during his time with the English outfit.
Stewart spearheaded their promotion to the second tier during the 2021/22 campaign with an exceptional 26 goals and three assists in 49 matches, which included three play-off appearances.
The towering centre-forward averaged a sublime Sofascore rating of 7.25 in that time and created nine 'big chances' for his teammates, suggesting that the creative number nine was let down by his fellow attackers at times as he only ended up with a minimal number of assists.
No Sunderland player averaged a higher Sofascore rating than him, indicating that he was the team's top performer as they won the play-offs.
Stewart was able to carry this form over to the Championship as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.40 across 13 appearances in the division last season, whilst only two players – Ryan Manning and Oliver Norwood – averaged a higher rating within the entire league.
The 27-year-old racked up a phenomenal ten goals and three assists during those 13 games, which only included 11 starts, highlighting his impressive ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.
How many goals has Sam Lammers scored for Rangers?
Stewart's statistics suggest that he could have been a far better option than Lammers, who has scored onlt one goal and provided one assist in nine matches for the Light Blues since his summer switch from Atalanta.
The 26-year-old has also failed to create a single 'big chance' for his teammates in four Scottish Premiership outings and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.92 – the just 14th-highest within the team.
His lack of an end product in the final third should not come as a surprise, though, as Lammers has not scored more than two goals in a league season since the 2018/19 campaign.
The Dutch attacker, who also stands at 6 foot 3, managed four strikes in 50 Serie A matches for Atalanta, Empoli and Sampdoria combined during his time in Italy and endured a difficult spell in Germany as he produced two goals in 22 matches on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Should Rangers have signed Ross Stewart?
The numbers prove that a mistake may well have been made here by not signing the now-Southampton star. Indeed, their respective records show that Stewart would have been a far better option than Lammers.
Stewart, whose Sofascore rating of 7.40 would have placed him third within the Gers squad last term, would have offered far more than the former PSV prospect at the top end of the pitch and could have adapted quickly as a Scotsman who has already played Premiership football.
The Scotland international, who was once dubbed a "revelation" by former teammate Alex Pritchard, is currently out of action with an Achilles injury that was sustained earlier this year but despite that, it could have been better for Rangers in the long term to take the short-term hit with regards to availability.
There is little sign of the summer signing from Atalanta producing anywhere near the level of form that Stewart did for Sunderland in recent seasons meaning Beale dropped the ball by deciding to pursue other targets.
