Rangers Must Close Deal On Ryan Kent

Rangers have already been active in the Summer transfer window. But their highest priority now should be retaining Liverpool winger Ryan Kent.

Steven Gerrard has already made good use of his connections with the reigning champions of Europe to bring in a pair of loaned players last season and already secured one for the coming season in Sheyi Ojo.

Ryan Kent should now be the main priority for Rangers after having made several other additions already. The winger was stellar last season and grew into his role to the point that by the end of the season he was possibly one of Rangers top 5 or 6 players.

This, of course, does cause some issues for Rangers in retaining him. Such a breakout season means that Kent is going to be more expensive. Reports indicate that a permanent move for Kent would likely cost at least £10 million which is almost certainly outside of Rangers spending level for now.

This leaves the option of bringing him back on loan, which is likely to cost at least £1 million which is expensive for a 1-year extension to the winger, but a price that Kent is well worth. His creativity on the ball is something that Rangers desperately need and his level of pace is rare to see in the Scottish Premiership.

On top of that, if Kent has another successful season in Glasgow it could heighten his desire to remain with the club long-term. Kent himself has expressed a desire to find a permanent home instead of being sent out on loan to a different club every year, and if he has another successful season at Ibrox it could push him into a level where this could be his home.

The most important value of kent is that he helps Rangers to raise their play against better competition, which is what they need. This past season saw Rangers return to being comfortably the second best team in the Premiership behind only Celtic, but despite splitting the season series with Celtic, they are clearly still a step below (which is alright given the gap in finances that remains) and they also looked far less talented in the Europa League.

If Rangers are going to get back to the point where they are continually competing with Celtic, they must be able to compete in these areas. Kent’s incredible pace makes him a stellar counter-attacker which makes his value against better sides much higher.