Rangers face Boyd repeat over signing “unplayable” star

Glasgow Rangers have signed players for a second or even third spell at Ibrox throughout the years to varying degrees of success.

Kenny Miller returned to the Gers in the summer of 2008. Despite playing for Celtic a year prior, the striker scored 56 goals over the next two and a half seasons, helping the club win two domestic titles before leaving in January 2011.

Craig Moore spent a few years at Rangers during the nine-in-a-row era before moving to Crystal Palace in 1998. After a few unsuccessful months in England, the Australian centre-back returned to Ibrox and became a prominent member of the squad until he left in 2004, notching up plenty of trophies in the process.

Not every player who returns for a second spell enjoys this sort of success, however. A few players have joined Rangers in the past in an attempt to try and replicate their first spell, but it just didn’t work out as planned.

Names such as Kyle Lafferty, Mark Hateley and even the great Jim Baxter couldn’t repeat the magic which was prominent during their initial time at the club, but one of the worst returns of recent times was that of Kris Boyd in 2014…

Kris Boyd’s second Rangers spell

Boyd was a machine during his first stint with the Gers between 2006 and 2010. He may not have been the hardest worker or most skilful player in the starting XI, but the moment the ball was played into the box, Walter Smith wanted just one player to get on the end of it – Boyd.

The Scottish striker was incredibly clinical upon moving from Kilmarnock, going on to score 128 goals which saw the Ibrox side return to prominence under Smith, with Boy winning six trophies.

Ahead of the 2014/15 season, the hitman returned to Glasgow hoping to replicate these feats as the club was looking to return to the top flight after a three-year absence.

Despite playing 43 times for Rangers during that campaign, Boyd managed to find the net just ten times as they failed to make it out of the second tier and the striker left to join Kilmarnock for a third time.

With the January transfer window now open, it appears a former crowd favourite has been linked with a return to the Light Blues this month.

If he does, it may well be a repeat of the Boyd disaster rather than a Miller or Barry Ferguson repeat…

Rangers facing Boyd repeat in January

Ryan Kent left Rangers in the summer of 2023 after his contract expired, going on to join Turkish side Fenerbahçe ahead of the following campaign.

Things didn’t go well for the winger on the continent, and he was eventually released by José Mourinho after making just 19 appearances in just over 12 months.

Since October, he has been without a club and, naturally, the rumour mill has been in overdrive regarding a move back to Rangers, but it appears as though things have accelerated recently.

According to a report from Turkish outlet Kontraspor earlier this week, Kent has the offer of a six-month deal with an option of a one-year extension if things go well, in order to kickstart a career that has stalled since leaving Scotland in 2023.

There is no doubt Clement requires some reinforcements ahead of the second half of the season, but is Kent really the answer? Especially considering the volume of talent who can play on the left wing at the club?

Ryan Kent’s Rangers statistics

If the Belgian signed the same player who shone during his first three seasons at Ibrox, then a return would surely be a priority for the club.

After signing on loan from Liverpool, the youngster registered 15 goal contributions which was enough to persuade Steve Gerrard to try and secure his signature permanently.

With just hours to go on transfer deadline day in 2019, Rangers got their man. The £7.5m fee was one of the highest the Gers had paid and over the next two seasons, it looked as though this could turn into a bargain.

21 goals and 18 assists were registered during that time, with the Light Blues winning the Premiership title in 2020/21 and Kent was even described as “unplayable” during the run to the Europa League final in 2022 by reporter Andrew Dickson.

His final season was a poor one, however, with Kent scoring just three times, and it was evident that his head lay elsewhere.

Why Rangers shouldn’t sign Ryan Kent

Yes, the winger would be available for free, but this doesn’t mean that Clement should be rushing to get a deal over the line. If anything, a move for Kent should be avoided, especially judging by his form since the summer of 2023.

During his maiden season in Turkey, the former Liverpool starlet only registered three goal contributions across 18 appearances in all competitions.

In the Turkish Süper Lig last term, the Englishman created only two big chances and averaged 0.6 key passes per game, while succeeding with only 0.9 dribble attempts per match.

When compared to his positional peers in the Europa Conference League during 2023/24, Kent fails to even rank in the top 50% for total shots (1.13), shot-creating actions (3.01), non-penalty goals (0) and touches in the attacking penalty area (2.44) per 90.

On this basis, does a move for Kent sound justifiable? With Nedim Bajrami, Ianis Hagi and even Hamza Igamane all being used on the left flank of late, he might not even make it into the starting XI.

Add to that Oscar Cortes and Rabbi Matondo returning from injury and this is a position which appears to be stacked with quality.

This is a potential move which the manager should be avoiding, as it could end up being a repeat of Boyd’s dismal second spell back at Ibrox.