Rangers have experienced their fair share of transfer blunders, but one of their worst was a choice Beale made in the summer.
Glasgow Rangers had recovered from a lackluster start to the season to go on a strong winning streak that saw the Gers win to start their Europa League campaign and advance to the League Cup semifinals.
The Light Blues were even booed off the field after their 1-0 victory over Motherwell last weekend. However, Michael Beale has faced some criticism for his team’s style of play this season, and it all came crumbling down again against Aberdeen on Saturday.
This may sum up the current atmosphere at the club, and in order to restore the faith of the fans, he will need to maintain the momentum built up during the previous few weeks.
Nine players were signed in the summer as part of a much-needed renovation, but it is obvious that only a few of them have fully adjusted to life in Glasgow and made meaningful contributions. The club needed this after experiencing its fair share of difficulties in the goalkeeping department previous season, and Jack Butland has been the standout, establishing himself as the number one goalkeeper.
During the transfer window, Beale also let go of a number of players in an effort to reduce the salary bill and free up money for new recruits. But were all of these excursions the right course of action? One player, Ryan Kent, has seen his value dramatically increase since departing Glasgow at the end of the previous season.
Ryan Kent cost the Rangers how much money?
After first signing on loan for the 2018–19 season, the winger spent the previous five seasons with the Ibrox club before making the switch to a permanent deal with Liverpool for somewhere around £7.5 million.
I’m thrilled to be back here, the young man exclaimed, evidently eager to be back in Glasgow. Even though it has been a long summer and a lot of things could have happened, I am happy to be here.
“I won’t deny that the summer has been quite difficult, but I am already a mentally tough guy. I had been working hard and keeping to myself because I knew if I did, good things will happen soon. Now that they have, I’m thrilled.
Kent was going to play a key role in Steven Gerrard’s team that he felt would be able to defeat Celtic and put the Gers back on top of the Scottish game.
Ryan Kent: What happened to him?
In his first two seasons with the club, the Englishman scored six and seven Premiership goals, respectively. Despite the fact that they didn’t win any trophies during these seasons, Gerrard was creating something exceptional.
The 2020–21 season saw Kent step up, contributing 27 goals across all competitions—13 goals and 14 assists—including 10 goals and ten assists in the league as the Light Blues went on to win their first championship in ten years.
During that championship season, he finished second on the team in both goals and assists and second on the team in both successful dribbles and big chance creation, demonstrating his great attacking threat.
Over the course of the next two seasons, though, his goal total decreased as the 26-year-old went on to score just three goals in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 as his form in front of goal deteriorated. Given that his contract was about to expire and it was clear that his performances from the previous season weren’t quite up to par, Beale had to make a choice.
As a result of an impasse over a choice, Kent eventually departed the team for nothing, but the manager’s decision to let him go is now looking ugly.
What is Ryan Kent currently worth?
The Leon Balogun-hailed “wizard” ex-Rangers star found a new team quickly after leaving Scotland, signing with Fenerbahce in the summer.
Kent cost Rangers £7.5 million just four years earlier, therefore his value when he left the team in May, according to Football Transfers, was €6.9 million (£6 million). This marked a significant loss for the team.
However, since joining the Turkish team, his value has increased significantly in only a few months; he is currently valued at €12.2 million (£10.5 million), and should he regain the form that delighted Glasgow fans during their title-winning season, this will only improve in the coming months.
The former Liverpool star has made seven appearances for his new team, making one score and providing one assist as he attempts to adapt to a new environment and style of play.
It might bring out his greatest qualities, and perhaps the 26-year-old needs a change of scenery to get back to being himself. Kent is impressive across a wide range of measures, having already generated one significant opportunity in three league games while averaging 24.7 touches per game, making 1.3 successful dribbles per game (with a success rate of 67%), and winning 64% of his total duels.
Even though it is still early, the left-winger’s prospects are promising. If he can maintain this strong play, he may think he has a good chance of returning to England in the future to play in the Premier League.
Even though Beale went out and bought forwards Cyriel Dessers, Abdallah Sima, Danilo, Sam Lammers, and Beale, only Sima is a pure winger, and Beale failed to expand his wide options over the summer.
Even if Kent’s seasons at the club in 2022–23 weren’t the most fruitful, losing him undoubtedly made their final-third play less effective. He was possibly one of the best attacking players in the country when he was at his best, therefore losing him without at least receiving a transfer fee was undoubtedly one of Beale’s worst moves as Rangers manager.
If he had been sold before the end of his contract, the club would have made a considerable profit given his current value of £10.5 million.
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