Advertisement
Ryan Kent (file pic). Ian MacNicol
Claim

Ex-Liverpool youngster says he was 'lied to' during Rangers transfer saga

Ryan Kent got the move to Ibrox he craved but not without a frustrating period, but almost ended up at a different club.

Updated at 11.26

RYAN KENT HAS suggested former club Liverpool lied to him as he sought a move to Rangers.

The move finally went through and the winger returned to the club where he’d had a successful loan spell in the 2018-19 season on a permanent basis on the last day of the Scottish transfer window.

Jurgen Klopp made it clear that there was no place for Kent at Anfield, but protracted nature of the transfer deal left the 22-year-old frustrated, but he’s happy now the result he wanted came to pass.

“It was very tough,” Kent told a press conference. “I had to stay mentally strong.

When you are told you can do one thing and then you are lied to and it doesn’t happen, that is quite hard to take.

“I just had to keep myself fit and train on my own and make sure I keep my fitness levels up and I was waiting for a moment like this to arrive.

“There’s no bitter taste, the thing that I wanted from the start happened at the end so I am just happy with that.

“There were probably some slight concerns along the way when I thought this might not happen and I might have to plan for something else but I always had a feeling that it might go to the last day of the window and that’s what happened.”

The move to Rangers almost never came off, but Kent wouldn’t have remained at Anfield either way.

He was at the airport waiting for a plane to join Club Brugge, with the mouth-watering prospect of Champions League football awaiting him, when the call came that Rangers wanted him. In the end, the decision to rejoin Steven Gerrard was an easy one.

I was already checked in and sitting in the departure lounge at Manchester airport. That’s when I get a call from my agent and the gaffer [Gerrard] saying ‘don’t go on the flight.’

“I was getting ready to fly out and sign for Club Brugge.

“They are in the Champions League and that was one of the main reasons I was heading there.

“But my heart was set on coming back here [to Rangers].

“I think I can achieve everything I want here and take myself to where I want to go.”

With the warm-up games out of the way, Murray, Bernard and Gavan discuss the renewed cause for optimism, impressive individual player form, and a potential quarter-final versus either South Africa or New Zealand.


The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud

Your Voice
Readers Comments
6
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel