Bundesliga star suggests it was 'unrealistic' to expect Rangers to pay £4.5m for his services
01/12/2025 06:20 AM
When Rangers signed James Sands the young American was supposed to bring composure, class and versatility to the club's defence and midfield.
But the NYCFC talent wound up playing his own part in what was a disastrous January 2022 for Rangers, a transfer window which really preceded the club's ongoing domestic collapse.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale both failed to get the best out of James Sands, who ripped his Rangers loan deal up early to return to the USA and take stock.
Now back in Europe after Sands signed with Bundesliga strugglers St Pauli, the 24-year-old New Yorker has been reflecting on his time in Scotland.
It comes as Sands makes his St Pauli debut in the 1-0 Bundesliga defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt over the weekend.
James Sands on 'unrealistic' Rangers stint
Whilst James Sands was highly thought-of within the walls of Auchenhowie, Rangers opted not to activate the £4.5m clause which would've brought the American to Glasgow permanently.
For all the defensive midfielder's supposed talent, games often passed Sands by and there was a nervousness in the kid's game which continues to linger around Ibrox even now.
It didn't help the midfielder was repeatedly forced to play at centre-back.
Sands admits that he found a change of system hard to adapt to at Rangers and, whilst the stint made him a better player personally, the USA international reckons it was 'unrealistic' to expect him to have a big impact in Glasgow.
"I think the biggest thing was just learning a new style of play," Sands told the Athletic. "In New York, we played the same system.
"It's a system that's very common in City Football Group clubs. Each team has formation changes, but the idea of building from the back and playing through the lines and trying to create opportunities is a common philosophy among most teams.
"I felt very comfortable in that, always played midfield for the most part.
"And then moving over to Rangers, I was asked to play a lot more center-back, often in a different system.
"The league games there are quite interesting, very different to MLS league games.
"Rangers is such a big club in that league that in a lot of the home games, they are quite dominant with the ball and they really are able to push the game forward and then on the road, you know, maybe the field is not so good or whatever it might be, it becomes a lot more difficult.
"So learning how to get results in difficult places was one thing. And then the European games were a totally different experience again.
"So just trying to adapt to all the different levels, different types of players.
"It was my first time away from home, first time out of the United States.
"So, to think everything would have gone perfectly is, you know, a little unrealistic. I think it made me a better player and it helped a lot."
Ex-Rangers star in Manchester City icon comparison
Former Rangers manager Michael Beale allowed Sands to return to NYCFC in March 2023 but had some positive things to say about the midfielder's ability.
Claiming that he was sure James would go on to have an 'excellent career', Beale was clearly a big fan but Rangers were not getting the best of the highly-rated midfielder.
James Sands too thinks pretty highly of himself and has been commenting on the type of player he is and wants to become.
Making a comparison to 2024 Ballon D'Or winner and Manchester City midfielder Rodri, Sands hopes he can become the American version of the Spanish icon.
"I think Rodri is the best in the world in that position," said Sands.
"And I think maybe sometimes when you watch (Manchester) City, you don't notice him as much because they have all these exciting wingers or they have (Erling) Haaland up front or all these exciting attackers.
"But, when you don't have him, that's when you really miss them. So I definitely do try to pick up bits and pieces from his game.
"Would I like to be the American version? That'd be nice."
