Glasgow Rangers have failed to win the Scottish Premiership title in each of the last four seasons, having last lifted the trophy under Steven Gerrard in 2021.
The English head coach led the Ibrox giants to the title in the 2020/21 campaign, going unbeaten in the process, and none of his successors have been able to match that feat.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, Philippe Clement, and Barry Ferguson have all tried and failed to win the division in the subsequent four seasons.
During that season, Gerrard had an excellent squad that were able to deliver consistently brilliant performances on the pitch, and Ryan Kent was one star who stepped up time and time again.
The English winger racked up ten goals and nine assists in 37 appearances in the Premiership, as he provided a regular threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Gers.
However, Rangers have failed to find another left-winger as influential as Kent since he left Ibrox on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, which is one of the problems that the 49ers should sort out this summer.
Why Rangers need their next Ryan Kent
During the 2024/25 campaign, Clement and Ferguson did not have a regular starter in the left wing position, as several players played out wide on the left.
Hamza Igamane, a centre-forward, and Ianis Hagi, an attacking midfielder, are two players who were utilised in that role, whilst Nedim Bajrami and Oscar Cortes failed to deliver enough quality at the top end of the pitch.
Rangers have already confirmed that Hagi will be released by the club at the end of his contract this summer, and Igamane is a centre-forward by trade, so he should not be a long-term option on the left wing.
That leaves Bajrami and Cortes as the left-wing options for the new head coach to assess in pre-season, and their respective performances in the Premiership do not suggest that they are good enough to be the first-choice in that role.
Appearances
24
28
10
Goals
4
2
0
Big chances created
6
4
0
Key passes per game
1.7
1.0
0.4
Assists
5
1
0
As you can see in the table above, neither player managed more than three goal contributions in the top-flight, whilst Cortes did not provide a single goal or assist in his ten appearances in the division.
This does not suggest that they are likely to reach the incredible tally of 19 goals and assists that Kent managed when Rangers last won the Premiership title under Gerrard.
Therefore, it should come as good news to Rangers supporters that the club are reportedly interested in a deal to bring a new left winger to the club ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Rangers eyeing deal for Leeds star
According to TEAMtalk, Rangers are eyeing up a deal to sign winger Largie Ramazani from Premier League side Leeds United in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Light Blues have emerged as a potential suitor for the Belgian forward, who only started seven matches in the Championship on his side’s way to the league title.
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It states that Ramazani has shown ‘flashes of brilliance’ since his £10m transfer from Almeria last summer, but the Gers are now hoping to capatilise on his lack of minutes by swooping for him this summer.
TEAMtalk adds that the Scottish giants are monitoring his situation at Elland Road for now, and that a decision could be made on his future by Daniel Farke during pre-season, which means that any move is unlikely to happen until next month.
Sporting director Kevin Thelwell should, now, push for a deal to be done whenever Leeds make a final decision over his future because he could finally replace Ryan Kent at Ibrox.
Why Largie Ramazani could finally replace Ryan Kent at Rangers
First and foremost, Ramazani is a natural left winger who likes to play on that side of the pitch to cut inside onto his stronger foot, just as Kent did during his time in Glasgow.
Whereas, Bajrami is more of an attacking midfielder who wants to be in central positions. Cortes is a natural left-winger, like Ramazani and Kent, but his return of zero goals and zero assists in ten league games simply was not good enough this season.
Despite his lack of game time at Elland Road, the £10m-rated winger showed plenty of signs of the kind of quality that he could deliver as a regular starter on the left flank.
The Whites star, who was described as an “explosive” forward by journalist Joe Donnohue, scored six goals and provided two assists in 28 matches in the Championship, despite starting just seven times.
Ramazani also produced three goals and five assists in 16 starts in LaLiga for Almeria during the 2023/24 campaign, which shows that he can perform well in Europe’s major leagues.
Appearances
29
Starts
7
xG
4.67
Goals
6
Touches per game
16.0
Big chances created
1
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old star was clinical in front of goal, outperforming his xG, and landed eight goal contributions despite only averaging 16 touches per game.
For context, Kent averaged 58.8 touches per game in the Premiership during the 2020/21 title-winning campaign, and Bajrami averaged 34.6 touches per match in the league this term.
Now, imagine the kind of impact Ramazani could have at the top end of the pitch, bearing in mind what he did with minimal touches at Leeds, if he had between 34 and 58 touches a game on the left wing week-in-week-out in the Premiership.
The exciting attacker could thrive as a regular starter at a lower level in Scotland, reviving his career after a season of riding the bench for the most part, and that is why he could finally be the replacement for Ryan Kent that the Gers desperately need.
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