As reported already, if we are to keep USA international James Sands beyond his 18-month loan spell, it will cost a reported £4.75million.
Ignoring the questionable source – he knows the option to buy clause fee but not if there was a loan fee – it’s common sense to accept that we would never pay that for a player who is little more than neat and tidy.
The performance that Sands put in against Dundee in the Scottish Cup is what he would be expected to do week in, week out, if he is to realise his dream of making the move to Europe a permanent one, he dominated the game both in terms of possession and physicality and dictated the game similar to the way that Ryan Jack does.
And this is where we could find him playing next season.
Sands, as we already know, is capable of playing as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-half, personally, for Rangers, I prefer him in the deeper position, especially domestically, because he is good on the ball and rarely wastes possession, however, starting in midfield allows Giovanni van Bronckhorst to change shape and drop him in to defence if the game state dictates.
The Jack/John Lundstram partnership is our best in the engine room but the Scotland international simply can’t play every game and we will look to manage his minutes in what is a big season for him, into the last year of his contract he will be hoping to stay injury free and persuade Ross Wilson to offer him new terms.
If he has another injury hit season then Sands is the natural successor, just not for nearly £5m.