Over the years, Glasgow Rangers have made some questionable transfer decisions which have impacted things on the pitch.
The Ibrox side’s transfer activity ever since Steven Gerrard departed in 2021 has unearthed few gems, seeing the club spend lavish sums of money on players who either can’t hack it in Scotland or who are far too injury-prone.
£6m was spent on signing Brazilian forward Danilo, yet a knee injury sustained last year has seen the player fail to live up to this fee. He will get a chance once fit, but if the same issues persist, it will be a colossal waste of resources.
Sam Lammers is another one who cost a decent sum, yet failed to repay the fee on the field, scoring just twice for the Light Blues in 31 appearances before being shipped off to FC Twente this summer.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Gers have moved on several players in recent years far too soon, especially when they may still have contributed.
One notable example is Alfredo Morelos, who departed the club in 2023 for nothing after letting his contract run down. The Colombian scored over 100 goals during his six-year stint in Scotland. While he was a shadow of his former self during his final season, he still offered glimpses of his immense talent.
That summer, another first-team star left the club too, as Ryan Kent failed to renew his contract at Ibrox as well.
Michael Beale was keen on ushering in a new era at the Gers, but losing two players who had contributed plenty to the club’s success over the previous few years was seen as a big gamble. One that didn’t pay off.
Ryan Kent’s statistics at Rangers
The youngster first arrived in Glasgow during the summer of 2018 as Gerrard used his Liverpool connections to bring the winger to the club on a season-long loan deal.
During that spell, Kent registered 15 goal contributions – six goals and nine assists – in all competitions for the Light Blues. Despite the club failing to win a trophy, it was clear progress was being made on the pitch, as Gerrard was building a team that would soon take back the Premiership title from Celtic.
2022/23
44
3
10
2021/22
46
3
19
2020/21
52
13
14
2019/20
33
8
3
2018/19
43
6
9
In order to do this, however, he would need to sign hungry players who would want to establish themselves in this project. Kent was one who was earmarked to make a permanent move to Ibrox that summer, but the saga rolled on all the way until deadline day.
Before the end of the window, it was announced that the wide player had moved north for a fee in the region of £7.5m, a staggering sum for the winger, despite shining on loan.
Again, the Gers finished trophyless during the 2019/20 campaign, but it was the following season in which Kent finally lived up to this lavish fee, as the Glasgow side won their first league title in a decade.
The former Liverpool man played over 50 matches that term, scoring 13 goals while chipping in with 14 assists. Furthermore, he ranked second in the squad for shots per game (2.3) in the top flight, along with ranking third for big chances created (nine), third for key passes per game (1.8) and second for successful dribbles per game (1.9), underlining how vital he was going forward.
This season proved to be Kent’s best at Rangers, as the following two years saw his gradual decline into someone who clearly looked like he no longer wanted to play for the club.
During his final two seasons, he managed to score just six times, a poor return for someone of his quality. It was perhaps no surprise to see him leave in 2023 following a muted campaign.
What Ryan Kent has done since leaving Rangers
During his time in Glasgow, teammate Leon Balogun dubbed the winger as a “wizard” during his time with the club, but since leaving, he has failed to nail down regular game time for Fenerbahçe and hasn’t exactly been capable of weaving much magic.
He joined the Turkish side a few weeks after saying goodbye to Ibrox last summer, but the move didn’t take long to turn sour. Across the entirety of last season, Kent managed to make just 18 appearances in all competitions, finding the back of the net only once.
It wasn’t exactly the form he had envisioned upon joining the Turkish club, especially considering it looked like he needed a change and was clearly coming into the peak years of his career.
José Mourinho arrived in the summer to take charge of the club, who missed out on winning their first league title in nine years last term, but it soon became apparent that Kent wasn’t going to be in his plans.
The former Liverpool starlet has played just 68 minutes so far, and it looks like he could be on the lookout for a new club sooner rather than later.
Ryan Kent’s market value in 2024
Despite struggling in Turkey, the winger is currently valued at £4m by Football Transfers, indicating that he will make the club a profit should they decide to sell in January.
Following his struggles, might the Ibrox side rue letting him leave so easily? Considering how limited Philippe Clement’s options are out wide at the current moment in time, quite possibly.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course. Even if he did extend his deal, there was no guarantee that the winger would have returned to the form he showcased during the league title-winning campaign.
The move clearly benefited both parties at the time, but having a fit and enthusiastic Kent in the starting XI is something Clement would clearly love to have at his disposal, no doubt about that.
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