Former Rangers winger Ryan Kent has missed out on a return to England with Hull City owner Acun Ilicali shifting his focus away from the Fenerbahce misfit.
After reports emerged before Christmas suggesting that the one-time Liverpool man could be on his way back to the UK – only a few months after swapping Ibrox for Istanbul – things have gone a little quiet around Ryan Kent.
Hull City have pulled off a string of high-profile signings since being taken over by Turkish businessman Acun Ilicali, but a player who once cost Rangers a cool £7 million will not be joining Jean-Michel Seri, Ozan Tufan and Fabio Carvalho on Humberside.
Speaking to GunHaber, Ilicali admits that he simply didn’t see the ‘desire’ from Kent to kick-start his career at Hull, despite the Englishman playing a grand total of one Super Lig minute since the start of November.
Former Rangers winger misses out on England return
“As for Ryan Kent, this issue is important. Desires, appetite, desire to play are important,” Ilicali explains.
Hull, he explains, have now shifted their focus to Trabzonspor’s Abdulkadir Omur, a player who was once viewed as Turkey’s answer to Lionel Messi and was previously the subject of a £23 million bid from none other than Manchester City.
“(Omur) is a fan favourite, and he become a fan favourite (at Hull),” Ilicali adds. “We could not see this appetite in Ryan Kent, and we turned to another football player.”
Hull City turn to Trabzonspor ace
Kent left Ibrox when his contract expired in July, alongside Alfredo Morelos, and has been linked with a return to the blue side of Glasgow in some quarters. Rangers appear to have put an end to those rumours, however. Philippe Clement’s side are expected to sign another right-footed left winger in RC Lens’ Oscar Cortes, the explosive Colombian arriving to take the place of ‘long-term’ absentee Abdallah Sima.
Ilicali, meanwhile, is also encouraging compatriot Ridvan Yilmaz to leave Rangers before the Super Lig window closes on February 9th, with Galatasaray keen on the ex-Besiktas left-back.
