I’M GOING NOWHERE
Kent claims Leeds’ £10m bid hasn’t distracted him from ultimate goal of winning silverware with Gerrard
RYAN KENT has set his sights on bringing silverware back to Rangers this season after stressing he has no intention of leaving the Ibrox club.
English Premier League newcomers Leeds United saw a £10million bid rejected earlier in this transfer window, with boss Marcelo Bielsa a long-time admirer of Kent.
However, the 23-year-old was not swayed by that interest and has clearly reaffirmed his commitment to Rangers following an impressive start to the season that yesterday saw him named Premiership Player of the Month for August.
Kent described his bond with Steven Gerrard — who picked up the Manager of the Month award — as a key element in his happiness in Glasgow. ‘I am in a really good position at the moment,’ said Kent, signed in a £7m deal from Liverpool 12 months ago. ‘I am enjoying my football and playing with a smile on my face, which is important.
‘I feel that gets the best out of a player when he is comfortable and in a happy place. It is always nice to get interest from a Premier League club but right now I am in a good position and I am happy where I am.
‘I get to — well, not under the current situation — play in front of 50,000 diehard supporters every week, play Europa League football and play at a good, competitive level. Right now, there is no reason for me to be elsewhere.
‘Steven Gerrard is getting the best out of me. When you have a player you idolised growing up, who has played at the top level and achieved such amazing things in football, you can only learn from the best.
‘He puts his trust in me and gives me confidence every week to go and express myself.’
Asked if playing in the EPL could be a longer-term ambition, Kent said: ‘My ultimate goal right now is to win trophies with Rangers. That is something I’ve definitely put my mind to, that I want to accomplish this year.
‘I don’t know where my future will take me. I want to put myself in positions where I can challenge myself against the best players about. If that is the Premier League in the future, then maybe.’
Kent has scored three times in the first six Premiership games of the season to help leaders Rangers make an unbeaten start.
‘Sometimes performances can get overlooked if you are not adding numbers to your game,’ he said. ‘I feel that has happened in the past. Now that I am able to put in performances with goals, it is an added bonus. The most important thing I can add to this team is goals.
‘There are areas of my game I can take to another level if I keep improving. I’m not getting complacent or feeling I have done enough on the pitch already. I always want to push myself and try and get to new heights.’
Far from being distracted by any interest from south of the border, Gerrard believes Kent used it positively to heighten his performances in the Premiership.
‘You have to be professional,’ said the Ibrox boss. ‘Ryan should see it as a compliment that people are watching him.
‘The Premier League is the best league in the world and if you are playing well and contributing to Rangers, then it is only a matter of time before people are going to be watching your football.
‘I have to praise Ryan for the way he went about things, because there was a lot of noise but not once did he take his eye off the ball or let his training drop.
‘He remained professional and,
if anything, he actually went up a level and used it as a compliment, with the form he is in.
‘He loves the club, is happy here and it would take something extremely special to drag him away. That is not my decision, that is Ryan’s.
‘He respects Rangers and what the fans have done for him. He is very aware of the opportunity this club has given him.’
Kent’s first season on a permanent Rangers contract was a mixed bag. Big goals against Celtic and Braga were accompanied by the impression he should be doing more overall.
While the current campaign remains in its infancy, there is a clear improvement in both effectiveness and consistency.
Kent now looks central to Rangers’ attacking play. Intelligent positioning has added to his natural technical gifts. Most importantly of all, there is a tangible end product.
‘The Covid virus aside, Ryan has had a settled summer and a full pre-season, which is very different to last year,’ said Gerrard. ‘Last summer, he didn’t know if he was coming or going. He was back at Liverpool, training with the academy and he was linked with numerous clubs to go out on loan.
‘He was probably wondering if he was coming back to Rangers. Then he got an injury and missed three to four weeks.
‘This year, it is the sharpest I have seen him in my time. We are seeing a difference because he has had a full pre-season, he is settled in terms of his thinking and, being here, he is in a place where he knows his team-mates really adore him and the staff are always there for him.
‘He has a really good strong relationship with the fans and everybody around the club.
‘Ryan is a footballer who enjoys coming to his work and, when that happens, you normally get good form out of them. He is in terrific form and long may that continue.’
As for his own award, Gerrard was quick to pay tribute to his backroom staff after five wins and a draw so far.
‘There’s no way I would accept that award without mentioning them or the players because you don’t get these prizes if they’re not performing consistently well,’ he said.
‘This is a collective effort and it’s been there since lockdown. A lot of people might have thought that was a time when we could have switched off, had a rest.
‘But we used every minute we had on Zoom calls, managing the squad.
‘The staff here are hungry and ambitious and they complement me very well.’