David Wren, Colin Armstrong and Stevie Clifford discussed all of the latest Rangers news on the most recent edition of the Gersnet Podcast and during the show, Clifford spent some time praising Gers attacker Ryan Kent.
It may be fair to say that Kent has been a key player for the Glasgow club this term, as the 24-year-old has made more appearances for Steven Gerrard’s side in all competitions (20) than all but three other players this season.
Additionally, only two Rangers players have scored more goals than Kent so far this season (six), and only two Rangers players have provided more assists than Kent at this stage of the campaign (seven), while he scored and assisted in Rangers’ 4-0 win over Aberdeen this past weekend.
With all of that in mind, it may be understandable why Clifford waxed lyrical about the £3.15m-rated Englishman during this recent edition of the Gersnet Podcast, saying: “I don’t think he ever hides, he’s not one that will shy away in a game, he’s always trying and if he doesn’t get past a player, he doesn’t retreat into his shell.
“He’s obviously taken his game up a level like a fair few of them have in the team, but in particular, he’s looked like the kind of guy as well that wants to take responsibility, which maybe he’s been slightly lacking the last couple of years, but with better players around him, the end product is there.
“I think it’s pretty clear that if we hadn’t made it into [the] Europa League group stages and Leeds were sniffing about him, I think he’s one of the ones that could’ve been sold, because we would have been in a situation where we might [have] needed to.
“He is pivotal to this team in terms of his movement, his ability just to skip by a player like he did today for the first goal, and he is looking like he wants to take that responsibility on, but we’ve got a player that’s developing into somebody who’s worth £20m in my opinion – or will be worth £20m in today’s market – so we have assets and he’s definitely a main one.
“I’m a bit of a fanboy when it comes to him but I just think he has been a joy to watch. He’s a big game player as well when it comes to it. When we’ve got big games, he certainly seems to turn up for them.”
Do you think Kent is worth £20m?
YES
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TIF Thoughts on what Clifford had to say about Kent…
As Clifford alluded to, Premier League Leeds United were linked with a move for Kent during the summer transfer window and those links haven’t gone away, as more recent reports have linked the Rangers man with a move to Marcelo Bielsa’s side in January.
Interestingly, the Gers signed Ryan Kent for £7.5 million back in September of 2019, so given Clifford’s estimation, he’s almost tripled his price since being at the Ibrox club.
In the 2018/19 season, Kent made 15 goal contributions in 43 appearances for Rangers, while last season, he made 12 goal contributions in 33 appearances. However, he is currently on course for his most prolific season in Scotland as he has already been directly involved in 13 goals in just 20 appearances for the Glasgow club this term.
As a result of his form, perhaps it won’t be a surprise if Leeds’ alleged interest in the player only grows based on his performances this season and maybe it’s understandable why Clifford was so optimistic about Kent’s value during this podcast, as he suggested that the player may command a higher transfer fee than any other player the Gers have ever sold if they do cash in on him.