Ryan Kent

Ryan Kent (born 11 November 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward or winger for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. He had previously played for teams in England, Germany, Scotland, and Turkey.

A graduate of the Liverpool academy, Kent made his single first-team appearance for the club in January 2016, after a loan spell with Coventry City. He spent the 2016–17 season on loan at Barnsley and won the club's Young Player of the Season award. After a loan spell with German club Freiburg in 2017, he departed on loan once again, joining Bristol City. Kent signed for Scottish club Rangers permanently in September 2019, after winning the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award while playing for them on loan in the 2018–19 season.

He spent five seasons with Rangers and played in over 150 total matches across all competitions, including in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. Kent signed with Turkish side Fenerbahçe in 2023 and played for just over a year before his contract was terminated by mutual agreement in late 2024. After several months without a club, he arrived in the United States and was signed as a free agent with the Sounders.

Kent is a former England youth international, having represented the nation at under-18 and under-20 levels.

Club career

Liverpool

Early career

Oldham-born Kent joined Liverpool at the age of seven and progressed through the Liverpool academy to become a regular member of the U21 squad. After an impressive end to the 2014–15 campaign for the reserves his performances were rewarded with a new four-and-a-half-year contract in March 2015. This was followed by a call-up to the first-team squad for their 2015 pre-season tour with the player being named in Liverpool's 30-man squad for their tour of Thailand, Australia and Malaysia. On 17 July 2015 Kent made his first-team debut when he came off the bench in the 2–1 win over Australian A-League side Brisbane Roar and was handed a first-team squad number for the Reds.

Loans to Coventry City and Barnsley

Liverpool received a number of offers to take Kent on loan after the player impressed in preseason. Kent eventually joined Coventry City in September 2015, on a youth loan deal for four months until 16 January 2016. He made his professional debut while at Coventry City, as a substitute on 12 September 2015 in a 1–0 League One loss to Scunthorpe United. On 3 November, Kent played and scored in a 4–3 win over Barnsley. The next day it was announced that he would return to Liverpool during the upcoming international break to be assessed by new Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. On 5 January 2016, he was recalled by Liverpool and was named in the first-team to make his competitive debut for them, starting the FA Cup third round match away to Exeter City. The match ended 2–2 with Kent being withdrawn from the action after 57 minutes.

On 26 July 2016, Kent was loaned to Barnsley for the season. He scored his first goal for them in a 4–0 win against Rotherham United on 27 August 2016. Kent was named Barnsley's Young Player of the Season at the club's end of season awards.

Loans to Freiburg and Bristol City

On 10 August 2017, after an impressive preseason, Kent signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool, and was loaned out to Freiburg for the season on the last day of the summer transfer window. After making just six appearances, Kent's loan spell at Freiburg was terminated and he returned to parent club Liverpool on 8 January.

On 12 January 2018, Kent joined Bristol City on loan until the end of the season. His stint with the Robins was unsuccessful, as he played just 10 league games, failing to find the back of the net in any. It was later reported that Bristol City would be fined £300,000 by Liverpool due to Kent's lack of playing time.

Rangers

2018–19: Initial loan spell

On 22 July 2018, Kent joined Rangers on season-long loan for the 2018–19 season. He made his debut on 26 July 2018 in the Europa League 1-0 victory against NK Osijek. He made his SPFL debut on 5 August 2018, in a 1–1 draw against Aberdeen. His first goal for the club came on 15 September 2018, in a 4-0 victory against Dundee. On 31 March 2019, Kent scored in the Old Firm derby against Celtic in a 2–1 loss. During the match Kent became involved in an altercation with Celtic captain Scott Brown, who was shoved to the ground. Kent was charged by the Scottish FA retrospectively. He received a two match ban after losing his appeal.
He made 43 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and making nine assists for the club. On 7 April, Kent won the 'Young Player of The Year Award for the 2018–19 season for Rangers at the club's end of season awards. On 5 May 2019, Kent won the 2018–19 PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year after his performance for Rangers. He was also voted in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the 2018–19 season.

Kent returned to Liverpool for the 2019–20 pre-season with manager Jürgen Klopp wanting to assess Kent's development, with Rangers manager Steven Gerrard