Rangers Director of Football, Mark Allen, has spoken to Sky Sports about the Deadline Day signing of Ryan Kent.
It was the transfer saga of the summer for Scottish football.
Was Kent coming back or wasn’t he? Would Jurgen Klopp decide he needed him at Liverpool? Was he too expensive? Would the Anfield side consider a loan deal? Would he head elsewhere altogether?
All of those questions were asked at one stage or another across the window.
Rangers fans had been asking for the club to snap him up way earlier than that, though. The ‘Announce Kent’ movement picked up steam during the summer, but it began when the winger started to hit form shortly after the winter break.
Yet, it seems that the sanctioning of a permanent bid only came after the Gers dispatched Legia in the Europa League qualifying playoff round.
Rangers figure Allen provides details on Kent move
“I think European qualification helped significantly, I think the directors looked at that,” Allen told Sky Sports. “We made no secret of the fact that Ryan was a target, he was a target all summer. We thought the deal had possibly gone but we had a chance to rekindle it and thankfully we did and we got Ryan on board.”
“I think it shows progress and that was where we set out to be when I started a few years ago. It had to be steady. It bodes well and says a lot about the intent of the directors of Rangers in terms of where they’re trying to get the club.”
Verdict
Splashing out a reported £7.5m to bring Kent in [Sky Sports] was certainly a big statement from the club and a move that few fans expected the board to make, however much they wanted the 22-year-old’s return.
As Rangers’ second most expensive signing of all time, it’s a big gamble. There’s a lot of pressure on the player to deliver.
A quick glance at his stats from last season would suggest that the club are barking up the wrong tree.
Yet, this guy does bring an X-factor perhaps otherwise missing in this Rangers squad. There have been a lot of nice signings this summer, but few players who have actually altered the strongest XI.
Kent comes in as an automatic starter who the manager has a lot of faith in. Allen’s comments prove this wasn’t a panic buy.
The coaching staff wanted him, the club kept communications open, and as soon as they had the funds, they pounced.
