Rangers have seemingly given up on Ryan Kent after failing to meet Liverpool’s financial demand for the prized asset. Steven Gerrard reacted swiftly to line up a replacement and roped in Brandon Barker from Manchester City on a three-year deal. This came as a surprise to many considering the player’s low-key stats so far in the senior career.
The 22-year-old won the Academy Players’ Player of the Year award back in 2014 but failed to break into their star-studded side. Barker had his loan stints in England, Holland, and also in Scotland with Hibernian a couple of seasons ago. However, he could not build up a long-term impact despite having pace, power and flair in his game while running down the left flank.
Gerrard, however, is delighted to have him in Rangers’ ranks and spoke highly of the youngster (as quoted by Football Scotland) after securing his services.
“He’s the type of player we’ve been looking for. Last year at times I didn’t feel we had enough in the final third in certain areas. The idea this year was to build a squad with exciting players who can open the door in different ways. Jordan Jones and Brandon Barker open the door in one-v-one situations then provide crosses or cut in to score goals.”
The gaffer may have a point here. But Barker is nowhere close to Kent’s quality, excellence and trickery. Numbers might not always reflect the on-field contribution, but the fans, having witnessed the impact of the Liverpool prodigy last season, would expect a similar show from the Manchester-born winger who had an underwhelming spell at Preston North End during the 2018-19 campaign.
His game is a bit one-dimensional as he mostly relies on his pace while beating past the opponents’ backline. The stint at Hibernian might help him settle down quicker in Glasgow. However, the player would struggle to fill Kent’s shoes, particularly his flashy skills and quick feet that used to distort the defensive resilience in tight contests.
Many might argue over the fact that Kent, too, had a mixed career graph before his Rangers move. But his time in the Championship was electrifying compared to Barker’s forgettable one. At 22, the Liverpool starlet holds way more first-team experience than the Gers’ new recruit and the club, keen on reclaiming the Scottish crown, should go for a more prolific figure before the window is slammed shut.
