Clement must avoid making a mistake in the transfer window
Glasgow Rangers face a hectic run of fixtures over the next six weeks, as the Gers will play 12 matches and this includes two crucial European matches alongside a League Cup final.
Under Philippe Clement, the Gers have improved massively from the stagnation that occurred earlier on in the campaign under Michael Beale.
Over the next few weeks, they could establish themselves as contenders for the Premiership title along with securing a first League Cup trophy since 2011 and this should be incentive enough for the players.
It has been a disappointing 18 months for the Light Blues, but it looks as though they could be approaching some stability under the leadership of the former AS Monaco manager and this could soon lead to some sort of success.
The next step for the Belgian will be to see which areas of his squad need improvement and turn to the January transfer window in order to add another player or two.
The Gers have been linked with a few names as the rumour mill circles ahead of the winter window, yet there is one name that has been thrown in the ring for a spectacular return to the club just months after leaving for nothing – Ryan Kent.
Rangers transfer news – Ryan Kent
According to TEAMtalk, Kent has been made available for a loan move this January by his current club Fenerbahçe, as the winger has failed to settle in Turkey since moving there in the summer.
English sides Leeds United and Bournemouth lead the chase for the 27-year-old, yet the report also indicates that the Gers are another team who are keeping tabs on the former Liverpool gem.
A fee of around £6m has also been mentioned as the Turkish club look to cash in on a player they secured for nothing a few short months ago.
According to Football Transfers, he is currently worth €10.7m (£9m) and this suggests Fenerbahçe are keen on letting him leave by any means possible.
The former Gers “wizard” – as so lauded by ex-teammate Leon Balogun – has made 14 appearances this term, yet has scored only once and a move in January would offer him a fresh start.
Clement should avoid luring him back to Ibrox, however, as the club have moved on, and it is unlikely that he could offer more on the left wing than Abdallah Sima.
Not many players have returned to the club and enjoyed a good second spell and Kent could become Kris Boyd 2.0, who returned for a single campaign but underperformed.
Kris Boyd struggled in his second spell at Rangers
The former Ibrox hitman enjoyed a goal-laden four-year spell between 2006 and 2010 following his arrival from Kilmarnock.
Across four and a half seasons, the striker scored 121 goals while winning two Premiership titles and a handful of domestic cups, as the Gers returned to the summit of Scottish football under the leadership of the late great Walter Smith.
Boyd departed in the summer of 2010 for a fresh challenge, but spells in England, Turkey and America failed to live up to expectations and after 18 months back at his boyhood club, the forward rejoined Rangers in 2014.
The club were looking to gain promotion back to the top flight, but the season as a whole turned out to be a disaster and Boyd failed to hit his stride.
He managed to score just three league goals in 29 matches and the Gers lost in the playoff final to Motherwell, thus having to spend another year in the second tier.
Signing Kent this January could see Clement repeat this dismal move by Rangers nearly a decade ago and it’s best if he is avoided.
Sima is performing marvellously on the left wing and has proven to be a serious danger in the final third.
How does Abdallah Sima compare to Ryan Kent
Beale signed the winger on a season-long loan deal from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer, and it has turned out to be a shrewd piece of business.
The 22-year-old has featured in all but one match for the club so far this term, scoring nine goals and grabbing one assist in the process, as his pace and clinical nature have proven to be a nightmare for opposition defenders.
| League statistics this season | Abdallah Sima | Ryan Kent |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 5 | 0 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 |
| Successful dribbles per game | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Big chances created | 1 | 2 |
| Shots per game | 2.9 | 0.6 |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
Compare this goal contribution tally to Kent – who has registered just three this term – and it is clear why the former Gers gem should be avoided during the upcoming transfer window.
Sima also ranks second across the current squad for goals and assists in the top flight (six), along with ranking third for shots per game (2.9) and second for successful dribbles per game (1.7), suggesting that he is a key threat out wide for the Light Blues in the league this season.
In comparison, Kent currently ranks outside the top 15 in the Fenerbahçe squad for goals and assists (zero) in the Turkish Super Lig, while also ranking 12th for shots per game (0.6) and seventh for successful dribbles per game (0.7), clearly failing to demonstrate his abilities in the top flight as he has struggled to make a proper impact.
Although it looks as though any potential move would be a loan deal, what kind of message would this send out to the members of the current squad who have shone for the first team this term?
Kent underperformed last season at the Gers – scoring just three times – and he moved on with the best wishes of the team and hierarchy, who were looking to make a fresh start.
He hasn’t performed better than Sima throughout the first few months of the current campaign and with Rabbi Matondo also going to come back from injury, Kent surely wouldn’t be assured of serious game should he return to Glasgow.
Some things are better left as they were – as was evident in the case of Boyd – even though at his peak, Kent was a wonderful player who could change the course of a match with a pass or piece of skill which led to a goal.
His final season didn’t go as anticipated and that will be a big regret. But re-signing him after just a few months away is a move which won’t end well and thus should be avoided.
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