There was a brief moment when ex-Rangers winger Ryan Kent looked set for the dizzying heights of the Premier League.
The former Liverpool attacker had been twisting the ankles of defenders all around Europe, Kent’s mazy dribbling and often ruthless creativity earning him a cult following on the continent.
But after a disastrous stint at Fenerbahce in Turkey, Ryan Kent finds himself on the football scrap heap with the winger’s career in serious danger of petering out into nothingness.
Kent was released by Fenerbahce last October after a 17 month stint in Istanbul where the winger made just 19 appearances and scored only one goal.
The entire thing threatened to turn nasty amid threats of a court battle from Kent’s camp.
But after five months without kicking a ball, Kent’s footballing exile looks set to finish and no, it won’t result in the player relocating his crocodiles.
Seattle Sounders closing in on Ryan Kent
Reports coming out of the USA are claiming that Ryan Kent is closing in on a deal to sign for MLS side Seattle Sounders.
The former Rangers winger, who is now 28, is said to be in ‘advanced talks’ to sign on with the American outfit until the end of the season.
The news was broken by Colombian journalist Niko Moreno, who explains that Kent could also have the option of another year sewn into the contract.
The move would see Ryan Kent move to the USA after months without a club and end speculation surrounding a potential move to Iran.
Reports coming out of the country had suggested former Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal wanted Kent to join him at Persepolis FC.
The fact Kent could bring his pet crocodiles was supposed to be a sweetener to the deal, but for whatever reason the winger looks set to move to the MLS.
Rangers blew £15m Ryan Kent chance
Rangers fans have fond memories of Ryan Kent but the latter stages of his Rangers career left a lot to be desired.
Kent’s lack of ruthlessness in the final third was a key part of Rangers letting slip their brief moment of domestic dominance, with fans questioning the winger’s attitude and paltry return of six goals in two seasons.
Those are not the kind of numbers you expect from a £7m player (Times).
At the peak of his powers at Ibrox, Rangers were fending off interest from the likes of Leeds United in Kent, some reporting that the Elland Road club were willing to pay up to £15m (Daily Mail).
It’s a haunting reminder of Rangers’ endemic failure in the transfer market in recent seasons, with Kent just one example of the club’s inability to cash in on their players at the optimum moment.
Eventually leaving Ibrox at the end of his contract, Rangers fans will be wishing Kent all the best with the winger best remembered for his Old Firm performances and the run to Seville.
But there’s a feeling that the last few years of the attacker’s career have been wasted out in Turkey, with the fact a mid-table MLS side appears to be his only option a sad reflection of recent campaigns.
Kent’s situation is precisely why Rangers must tie down key assets on new contracts, the club needing to heed the player trading lessons of the past.
