The Athletic journalist Jon Mackenzie believes Nottingham Forest should look to bring in Rangers forward Ryan Kent this summer for his technical proficiency, speed and his connection with current boss Steve Cooper.
So far this summer Forest has already bought in the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi and linked with Maxwel Cornet to bolster their attacking options, Mackenzie recently claimed they should look to bring in Kent, after initially looking at the player back in 2018.
Mackenzie also believes that Kent’s technical ability and pace will hugely benefit Forest and believes his connection with Cooper, who was head of Liverpool’s academy when Kent played there could help them sign him.
He said on the Tifo Football YouTube channel, “[Ryan] Kent is a powerful but technical player. He loves to take on defenders using his speed and technical proficiency to ease past opponents. Because of this, he really thrives in transitional moments of the sort which Forest will be looking to produce in the Premier League next season.
“Kent came through Liverpool’s youth system at the time when Steve Cooper was head of the academy, so the Forest manager will already know how best to use him in his current setup.
“This connection might also persuade the player to make the move to his side who would be looking to avoid relegation and Kent will be very gettable for Forrest given his contract only runs until 2023.” (4:18)
TIF Thoughts on Mackenzie’s comments…
Ryan Kent was impressive last season at Rangers, both in the Scottish Premier League and during their Europa League campaign which saw them reach the final. Throughout this time he picked up three goals and 20 assists across all competitions for the Gers.
He also averaged 1.5 shots, 1.3 key passes, and 2.8 dribbles with 81.8% passing accuracy while ranking in the 92nd percentile for dribbles completed with 2.76 per game and 91st for tackles with 2.13 per game compared according to Fbref.
His creativity down the wing will help the likes of Awoniyi settle in the English topflight while taking the pressure off of potential transfers in Cornet to carry the weight of the creativity on the side.
While Rangers will now once again play in Europa League next season, there is no reason why he could not be enticed to join the Premier League with Forest, it also helps that Kent knows Cooper well from the Liverpool days.
Should Forest sign Kent?Yes
No
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