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Left for free, now worth £8m: Beale had a Rangers shocker on 5 ft 7 “wizard”
Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement has totally transformed the Ibrox side since taking over in mid-October.
Under his predecessor, Michael Beale, the Gers had stumbled during the opening few weeks of the season. Not only were they knocked out of the Champions League at the final qualifying stage, but they also lost three of their opening seven Premiership matches of the campaign.
He was sacked following a 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox, and it has arguably been the best decision the board have made all season, especially after the wonderful start Clement has made.
It wasn’t just the results that Beale struggled with during his ten-month spell in charge of the club, but also his management of players, failing to tie down several key assets to long-term deals during the second half of the 2022/23 season.
One of these players has moved, and his market value has risen substantially, clearly indicating that Beale had a shocker by letting him leave for free.
Why Ryan Kent left Rangers
The English winger started the 2022/23 season knowing that it was his last under contract at Rangers, yet as the season progressed, there were no talks of an extension mentioned by either Giovanni van Bronckhorst or Beale.
With the end of the season fast approaching, he wasn’t the only one who had not secured a new deal, as Scott Arfield, Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander and Allan McGregor were all in the same position.
While the latter two were perhaps expected to depart, Kent, Morelos and Arfield all had justifiable claims to be offered an extension, yet Beale looked set to go his own way and undergo a summer clear-out.
It ended an excellent five-year spell at Ibrox where Kent regularly destroyed opposition defences both domestically and in Europe.
Ryan Kent’s market value at Rangers
Following a solid loan spell which saw the youngster register 15 goal contributions in all competitions – six goals and nine assists – which included a solo effort against Celtic, Steven Gerrard went all out to sign him on a permanent deal.
The former Liverpool captain spent a total of £7.5m to lure him from Jürgen Klopp’s side to bolster his side and, while on the surface it was a lot of money, Kent soon started repaying the Ibrox side.
Eight goals were scored in his first season, while the 2020/21 campaign saw the winger score 13 times and grab 14 assists both in Europe and domestically, as the Light Blues strolled to their 55th league crown and Kent was arguably one of their finest performers.
| Ryan Kent’s Rangers statistics | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44 | 3 |
| 2021/22 | 46 | 3 |
| 2020/21 | 52 | 13 |
| 2019/20 | 34 | 8 |
| 2018/19 | 43 | 6 |
| Via Transfermarkt | ||
The next two seasons saw the former Liverpool starlet fail to discover his goal-scoring touch, netting just six goals across 90 games and it saw the Gers win just one trophy – the 2022 Scottish Cup.
While they did reach the Europa League final in the same year, Kent missed a glorious chance to wrap up the game in extra time and, judging by his performances last term, he never recovered from it.
Indeed, he only ranked sixth in the squad for goals and assists (11) in the top flight last season, while ranking sixth for shots on target per game (0.7) and fourth for big chances created (nine) as the Light Blues struggled under both Van Bronckhorst and Beale.
The 5 foot 7 winger was once hailed as a “wizard” by his former teammate at Ibrox, Leon Balogun, yet the final few months of last season proved that he was clearly looking for a move away.
During his penultimate term at Ibrox, Kent’s market valuation peaked at €11.7m (£10m) according to Football Transfers and perhaps the club should have thought about cashing in then, especially as he was nearing the end of his contract.
