Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement has totally transformed the Ibrox side since taking over in mid-October.
Under his predecessor, Michael Beale, the Gers had stumbled during the opening few weeks of the season. Not only were they knocked out of the Champions League at the final qualifying stage, but they also lost three of their opening seven Premiership matches of the campaign.
He was sacked following a 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox, and it has arguably been the best decision the board have made all season, especially after the wonderful start Clement has made.
It wasn’t just the results that Beale struggled with during his ten-month spell in charge of the club, but also his management of players, failing to tie down several key assets to long-term deals during the second half of the 2022/23 season.
One of these players has moved, and his market value has risen substantially, clearly indicating that Beale had a shocker by letting him leave for free.
Why Ryan Kent left Rangers
The English winger started the 2022/23 season knowing that it was his last under contract at Rangers, yet as the season progressed, there were no talks of an extension mentioned by either Giovanni van Bronckhorst or Beale.
With the end of the season fast approaching, he wasn’t the only one who had not secured a new deal, as Scott Arfield, Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander and Allan McGregor were all in the same position.
While the latter two were perhaps expected to depart, Kent, Morelos and Arfield all had justifiable claims to be offered an extension, yet Beale looked set to go his own way and undergo a summer clear-out.
It ended an excellent five-year spell at Ibrox where Kent regularly destroyed opposition defences both domestically and in Europe.
Ryan Kent’s market value at Rangers
Following a solid loan spell which saw the youngster register 15 goal contributions in all competitions – six goals and nine assists – which included a solo effort against Celtic, Steven Gerrard went all out to sign him on a permanent deal.
The former Liverpool captain spent a total of £7.5m to lure him from Jürgen Klopp’s side to bolster his side and, while on the surface it was a lot of money, Kent soon started repaying the Ibrox side.
Eight goals were scored in his first season, while the 2020/21 campaign saw the winger score 13 times and grab 14 assists both in Europe and domestically, as the Light Blues strolled to their 55th league crown and Kent was arguably one of their finest performers.
2022/23
44
3
2021/22
46
3
2020/21
52
13
2019/20
34
8
2018/19
43
6
The next two seasons saw the former Liverpool starlet fail to discover his goal-scoring touch, netting just six goals across 90 games and it saw the Gers win just one trophy – the 2022 Scottish Cup.
While they did reach the Europa League final in the same year, Kent missed a glorious chance to wrap up the game in extra time and, judging by his performances last term, he never recovered from it.
Indeed, he only ranked sixth in the squad for goals and assists (11) in the top flight last season, while ranking sixth for shots on target per game (0.7) and fourth for big chances created (nine) as the Light Blues struggled under both Van Bronckhorst and Beale.
The 5 foot 7 winger was once hailed as a “wizard” by his former teammate at Ibrox, Leon Balogun, yet the final few months of last season proved that he was clearly looking for a move away.
During his penultimate term at Ibrox, Kent’s market valuation peaked at €11.7m (£10m) according to Football Transfers and perhaps the club should have thought about cashing in then, especially as he was nearing the end of his contract.
Instead, Beale let him run down his existing deal and the player exited Scotland after five years without the club receiving a transfer fee for him.
Ryan Kent’s market valuation in 2024
It did not take long for Kent to find a new club, securing a move to Turkish side Fenerbahce last summer just weeks after leaving Scotland.
It was perhaps a strange move for the player, especially as he could have remained in Britain with a move closer to home, but it did not take long for the move to unravel with a story of unpaid wages not helping matters.
He has since made only 16 appearances for the club, scoring once, and it looked as though he was on the move in January having failed to make an impact in Turkey.
Gerrard was reportedly keen on bringing him to Saudi Arabia while Hull City and Cardiff City were also showing an interest in luring the player back to England, yet he remains with Fenerbahçe until the end of the season at least.
Despite his poor performances and lack of meaningful impact when he has featured for the Turkish outfit, Kent’s market value currently stands at €9.6m (£8m) according to Football Transfers, a dip from a peak of €12.2m (£10.4m) when he first joined the club.
Although the 27-year-old had perhaps burnt his bridges with Beale after a poor second half to the 2022/23 campaign, letting him leave for free has proven to be a poor decision by the current Sunderland manager, especially as he could have raked in a hefty transfer fee for him.
With Beale now out of the picture, Clement will have learned from the mistakes made by the former Gers boss, and he must tie down his key players to long-term contracts.
There is no doubt Kent is a wonderful player on his day, but he has yet to show that during his post-Rangers spell thus far and the longer time goes on, the less chance he will have of making an impact in a prominent league.
With the likes of Borna Barisic, John Lundstram, and Ryan Jack all out of contract at the end of the season, the Belgian manager faces a few important decisions on who he should give an extension to, and who he will allow to leave once the season finishes.
