Ryan Kent’s time at Rangers has been referenced by the Seattle Sounders as the winger signs for the MLS side five months after his release by Fenerbahce.
The former Rangers attacker, 28, spent five years at Ibrox, initially impressing on loan from Liverpool before the Gers sanctioned a £7m deal to sign the winger permanently in 2019.
Ryan Kent is the most expensive player of the modern era at Rangers but the club failed to move the winger on at his peak and wound up paying the penalty.
After moving to Turkey following the expiration of his Rangers contract in 2023, Kent was released by Fenerbahce in October after a lack of playing time under Jose Mourinho.
Reports had suggested Kent was closing in on a move to Seattle and now the deal has been completed, the winger admits he could not be happier to make the move stateside.
That’s even if reports had suggested Kent’s crocodiles had pulled him towards Iran and a link-up with former Fener boss Ismail Kartal at Persepolis FC!
Ryan Kent break silence on Seattle Sounders move as unique squad number confirmed
Ryan Kent has also briefly broken his silence on the transfer to Seattle Sounders after being released by Fenerbahce.
Speaking to the club’s official social media team, Kent uploaded a clip where he expressed his delight at the move, admitting he was excited to meet the club’s fans.
”Hello Seattle it’s Ryan Kent,” started the winger. “Looking forward to meeting all you Sounders fans and bringing a lot of success to the team.”
Kent will also use the number 77 at the Seattle Sounders, with the traditional number 7 shirt currently held by US international Cristian Roldan.
The number 7 is usually held by the club’s most creative attacker and Seattle have talked up the winger’s qualities after Kent’s move to the USA was confirmed.
The winger wore the number 14 at Rangers, which is double the number 7, whilst Kent wore the number 11 at Fenerbahce.
Ryan Kent has ‘five qualities’ that can transform Seattle Sounders
Sounders FC General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer Craig Waibel has hailed the arrival of Ryan Kent in the MLS.
Talking up the winger’s ‘top-level experience’ with the likes of Rangers, Waibel also singled out no fewer than five qualities which makes the winger a good fit in Seattle.
“Ryan is a dynamic winger with top-level experience who brings pace, creativity and a dangerous attacking threat,” Waibel told the Seattle Sounders website.
”His versatility and work ethic make him a great fit for our system, and we believe he can make an immediate impact and allow us to continue competing at the highest level.”
Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has praised Kent’s ‘impressive pedigree’ in the game and reckons the ex-Rangers star’s talents will give the club ‘another dimension’ in the upcoming matches.
“He’s got real quality on the ball, is effective at taking players on and stretches opposing backlines, which should give us another dimension in the final third,” said Schmetzer.
“We’re confident Ryan will integrate quickly and give us a big lift as we continue a long, grueling 2025 campaign.”
Ryan Kent made 218 appearances for Rangers across five seasons, scoring 33 goals and laying on 56 assists.
The winger lifted the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 and the Scottish Cup in 2022, with Kent a key part of the Gers side who reached the Europa League Final in Seville.
