Right now, Klopp needs Kent and Rangers will just have to be tolerant in their bid to get him back
It’s only logical that Rangers want to bring Ryan Kent back to the club.
He is a fine young player, and would be a major asset in their quest to stop Celtic winning nine league titles in a row.
However, for me it’s perfectly understandable that Liverpool need to look after themselves, first and foremost.
I’m sure Jurgen Klopp will try to be helpful to Steven Gerrard whenever he can.
We’ve seen that with the number of players who have made the journey from Anfield to Ibrox on loan since Steven became Light Blues manager. But Jurgen’s priority is his own team. And, right now, Klopp needs Kent. Liverpool’s pre-season is well under way, but they are still missing one or two players. So that’s why the likes of Kent and Harry Wilson have been getting a game.
If Kent impresses and really catches the eye of the manager, then he may well not be allowed to leave as Jurgen will see him as part of his first-team squad.
Alternatively, a big-money bid could come in for Ryan, and there would be a decision whether to sell or not.
We will just have to wait and see what happens.
Rangers will need to be patient with this one.
They have up until the end of August to bring players in, and they may well have to wait well into next month before they get Kent – if they get him at all.
It will be frustrating for the Rangers support not to see the deal done, and having Kent available in time for the SPFL league opener away to Kilmarnock would be a hugely popular move with them.
Everyone at Ibrox wants to see Kent back in the blue jersey. The boy enjoyed the experience of last season, and playing in front of 50,000 supporters every other week.
It could well be he ends up back in Glasgow, but I wouldn’t anticipate a decision on that one being made any time soon.
What Rangers do have in their favour is that Liverpool trust them with their players. They had a couple last season and that relationship has continued by getting Sheyi Ojo in.
Ojo is a good player. He is strong, quick and direct. I think he will be a big asset to Rangers in the coming campaign, and he gave a hint of that by scoring against St Joseph’s on Thursday night in the Europa League qualifier.
What Steven will be doing is making sure he gets the best out of the players he does have. He can control that situation, at least.
The Alfredo Morelos ‘situation’ is still there.
He has been linked with clubs in the past month, but there’s been no concrete bids, from what we are being told.
As Steven said the other day, if any club wants to sign the striker, then they need to act quickly.
Rangers will not want to sell a player at the last minute who scores 30 goals.
All things being equal, Morelos is the kind of talent you’d want to hang onto, but there is the disciplinary issue still hanging over him and it remains to be seen if he will clean that up in the new campaign.
His goals can help Rangers win silverware, but his red cards can also be very damaging.
He is not a young boy. He’s 23 and he needs to show a greater level of maturity and calmness.
He came off the bench to score in Gibraltar, and that was good for him.
Overall, it was a game Rangers were expected to win but they still showed a level of professionalism to get the 4-0 scoreline on what was a difficult surface.
To see all four Scottish teams winning in midweek was pleasant. It doesn’t happen very often, so congratulations are due.
Celtic recovered from going a goal down to Sarajevo to win, and have a 3-1 cushion going into the return.
That was a fine performance from Neil Lennon’s team and they will now go through to the next round.
In what is a gruelling qualification campaign during July and August, it’s one step closer to the £25-million Champions League jackpot.
Aberdeen looked good for a 2-0 win at Pittodrie on Thursday night, and then Rovaniemi scored in the last minute.
I’m hoping Derek Mcinnes and his players will still have too much for the Finnish side in the return leg over there, and that late goal is not really damaging.
Killie had a good win away against Connah’s Quay, and new manager Angelo Alessio will have been pleased.
They will finish the job on Thursday night at Rugby Park, for sure.
What the Ibrox club do have in their favour is that Liverpool trust them with their players, as we’ve seen with their loan deals