Rangers star Kai Kennedy has signed a new deal at Rangers which will see the talented 18-year-old tied down to Ibrox until 2023.
One of the club’s highest-rated Academy talents, this represents a major boost for the club following six months or so of protracted negotiations.
The move will also see Kennedy join Raith Rovers on loan for the rest of the season following a successful six-month stint at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Kennedy, who was named the Player of the Tournament at the prestigious Alkass cup in 2019, had been linked with high-profile moves to the likes of Man City and Bayern Munich prior to signing the deal [Daily Record].
Speaking to the Rangers website after the deal was announced, Gers sporting director Ross Wilson also revealed that Kennedy moved on from ICT so he could be closer to his family during Covid.
Wilson also responded to those earlier reports about a disagreement with Steven Gerrard which led to the Rangers boss questioning “ego” at the Academy.
“Firstly, I am pleased that we have confirmed Kai’s future with Rangers. There has been a lot written about Kai, much of it creating an unfair narrative around him,” said Wilson [Rangers].
“I have been really clear that with respect to our young players’ contracts we will reward talent and provide opportunities, but such rewards at Rangers must be earned and achieved. We felt that Kai received questionable advice previously and halted our discussions.
“Kai, with the support of his family, acknowledged he had listened to wrong advice, and Steven [Gerrard] and I admired his reflection, humility and maturity.
“Kai consistently stated during all of our conversations that his ultimate ambition is to be a successful Rangers player and we are pleased we have a clear plan that allows him to move towards achieving the ambition he has held since joining our Academy as a young lad.
“He has progressed beyond our B Team and he needs to develop and influence strongly at first-team level now.
“We were pleased with his performances at Inverness and thank John Robertson for his work with Kai.
“For personal reasons, Kai wanted to be closer to his family during Covid times and we look forward to monitoring his contribution to Raith Rovers in their pursuit of promotion.”
Here’s how the Rangers support reacted to the “great news” that Kennedy had signed a new deal:
https://twitter.com/Chr1sMcLaughlin/status/1347513567524884480
https://twitter.com/AndyWei90546344/status/1347514495560777729
https://twitter.com/Pandy297/status/1347514004974034945
https://twitter.com/andrewh1812/status/1347513720428257287
Kennedy will now look to make an impression in the Championship with Raith Rovers as he continues his development as a precocious young talent in Scotland.
Inverness boss John Robertson has previously raved about the youngster who had a positive six months at the Tulloch Stadium.
