Leeds United want Ryan Kent but the Rangers star has been slammed as a ‘one trick pony’ after a poor start to the season.
Kent, 25, was one of Steven Gerrard’s first signings upon becoming Rangers boss back in 2018.
A loan deal became permanent with Rangers forking out a huge £7.5million to bring Kent to Ibrox full-time.
Kent has had his moments, plenty of them, but there is always a feeling that there is so much more that he can provide.
31 goals in 187 games doesn’t quite feel enough for a player of Kent’s ability and he is now being criticised.
Leeds United want Ryan Kent
Rumours were surrounding Kent and his Rangers future with the Daily Mail reporting on before deadline day that Leeds United were back in for Kent.
The former Liverpool ace seems to be linked with Leeds in every window and the Whites appeared to consider him once again in August.
No deal materialised but you can expect Leeds to have one eye on Kent ahead of the January window – especially considering his contract situation.
Kent is out of contract at the end of the season and could become an absolute bargain signing for Leeds in 2023.
Kent isn’t exactly playing his way into a move though having registered just one goal and four assists in 13 games to start this season.
Pundit and former Celtic ace Kris Commons has now told The Scottish Daily Mail (The Verdict, p5, 10/10) that he thinks Kent hasn’t developed at all since first arriving at Rangers four years ago.
Commons added that Rangers probably only want Kent to sign a new contract so that they don’t lose him for nothing.
Commons also called Kent a ‘show pony’ whilst criticising the ‘immaturity and naivety’ that is still present in Kent’s game, believing that he just isn’t maximising his atalent – and that’s something for Leeds to consider if they do want him in January.
“Kent has been poor all season and was finally dropped on Saturday. It was a fairly public kick up the backside,” said Commons. “This has been a long time coming for a player with whom fans are growing frustrated. Kent is out of contract at the end of the season. At the moment, he’s not doing enough to justify a new deal. The only thing that would make Rangers offer him one is the fact they don’t want to lose him on a free. He needs to buck up his ideas, so it’ll be interesting to see if Van Bronckhorst has been able to get a reaction from him if he’s back in the team for the Champions League game with Liverpool on Wednesday.”
“There’s a feeling that Kent can be a little bit of a show pony at times with all the fancy flicks and stepovers. But he’s not providing this Rangers team with anywhere near enough end product. If you look at the player who first arrived at Ibrox on loan in 2018, has he really improved or developed all that much? I’m not so sure he has.”
“There’s still a sense of immaturity and naivety in his game. I don’t see him as being anywhere near the same level as Jota or Abada. Kent does have talent. But he needs to show more intelligence in his play in the final third. Jota and Abada know how to attack space and get goals, whereas Kent doesn’t do that. The gauntlet has been thrown down by Van Bronckhorst. It’ll be interesting to see what reaction Kent offers over these next few weeks,” he added.
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