Glasgow Rangers made the decision to part ways with head coach Michael Beale at the start of last month and completed a swoop to bring in Philippe Clement as his replacement.
The Belgian tactician has enjoyed a terrific start to life in Glasgow with a return of six wins and one draw from his opening seven matches in charge in all competitions.
He already has a League Cup final, against Aberdeen, to look forward to next month and could secure his first piece of silverware in Glasgow, after Beale failed to win any trophies during his tenure at Ibrox.
It would be an impressive accomplishment by Clement when you consider that the former Monaco manager is yet to be able to bring in his own players to bolster his squad, as he arrived after the summer transfer window slammed shut.
The upcoming January transfer window will be his first opportunity to dip into the market and the Light Blues have already been touted with a move for one of their former players.
Rangers transfer news – Ryan Kent
A recent report from TEAMtalk named Rangers as one of the clubs keeping an eye on Ryan Kent’s situation as he has been made available for a winter exit.
The outlet claimed that Fenerbahce are prepared to send the 27-year-old winger out on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign after his poor start to the season.
It is stated that the Turkish giants are willing to part ways with the English flop and that they would also be open to including an option to buy next summer for a fee within the region of £6m.
TEAMtalk have revealed that the ex-Gers attacker has struggled to adapt to life in Turkey and is yet to adjust to his new teammates and environment, which now looks set to lead to a premature end to his spell with Fenerbahce.
Rangers, who watched on as Kent departed on a free transfer to make the switch to the Turkish giants at the end of last season, are now eyeing him up as a surprise signing in January, less than a year on from his exit from Glasgow.
However, they could face some stiff competition for his signature at English sides Leeds United and Bournemouth are both said to be keen on the ex-Liverpool gem.
The latter are currently competing in the Premier League and the former are pursuing promotion to the top-flight of English football, which could be an attractive prospect for Kent, who has already been there and done it in Scotland.
If Clement and Rangers are able to win the race for his signature, though, then they could land a big upgrade on current forward Scott Wright, who has been unable to provide a consistent attacking threat out wide.
Scott Wright’s Rangers statistics
The 26-year-old lightweight arrived at Ibrox from fellow Scottish side Aberdeen midway through the 2020/21 campaign and put pen to paper on a contract until the summer of 2025.
Steven Gerrard brought him to Glasgow after the winger racked up two goals and five assists in 20 appearances in all competitions for the Dons during the first half of the season.
Wright had an unspectacular start to life with the Light Blues as he ended that term with one goal and two assists in 13 appearances, as Rangers went on to win the Scottish Premiership title.
The Scottish forward then enjoyed a solid first full season with the club as he produced seven goals and three assists in 37 matches in all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign.
However, his form went downhill the following term as Wright ended the 2022/23 season with a return of zero goals and two assists in 34 matches for the Gers, which included one assist in 23 Premiership outings.
So far during the current campaign, the ex-Aberdeen star has managed one goal and zero assists in ten appearances under Beale and Clement combined.
This means that Wright has a dismal record of one goal and provided two assists in his last 44 games for Rangers since the start of last season. He has averaged one direct goal contribution every 14.7 matches during that period, which is a woeful return for an attacking player.
The Gers lightweight has not offered enough in the final third to be relied upon as a regular option for a team that wants to compete for multiple trophies and in European competitions.
Ryan Kent’s Rangers statistics
Whereas, Kent proved himself to be a superb attacker for the Light Blues throughout his time in Scotland and he could arrive as a big upgrade on Wright if the club can pull off a shock swoop to bring him back to Ibrox.
The 27-year-old ace has zero goals and zero assists in seven Super Lig games for Fenerbahce but that should not be a concern for the Gers as they already know exactly what he is capable of in Scottish football.
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Ryan Kent’s Rangers career (via Transfermarkt) |
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|---|---|
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Statistic |
Performance |
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Appearances |
218 |
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Goals |
33 |
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Assists |
56 |
As you can see from the table above, the Gerrard signing enjoyed a fantastic spell in Glasgow and was able to chip in with goals and assists from a wide position.
Over the course of his career with the Light Blues, Kent averaged a goal or an assist every 2.45 matches on average in all competitions – a considerably more impressive return than Wright’s contributions for the club.
Last season, the English forward, who was once dubbed “unplayable” at his best by journalist Andrew Dickson, produced three goals and eight assists in 29 Premiership outings.
The Fenerbahce flop created nine ‘big chances’ and won two penalties for his side throughout the league campaign as the exciting whiz showcased his creative quality on a regular basis.
Whilst Kent is not a regular goalscorer who is likely to hit double figures for Clement, his assist numbers are there for all to see – including 19 in all competitions during the 2021/22 season – and he has the ability to be a consistent contributor in that respect.
Therefore, the £6m-rated magician could be a fantastic signing on loan for Rangers as a forward who could come in and be a big upgrade on Wright out wide, due to his far superior output at the top end of the pitch.
