Summary Rangers need someone to replace Ryan Kent's output at Ibrox. They have a £2.5m danger man capable of doing exactly that. He had a woeful 2022/23 season but has started this term positively.
Glasgow Rangers head into the final days of the summer transfer window well-placed to challenge for domestic honours while hopefully aiming to replicate their European performances which saw them come so close to winning the Europa League in 2022.
Michael Beale has built a solid squad and his next goal will be to turn his team into a side which can succeed on a regular basis.
There were some high-profile departures at the end of last season, including Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent but Beale has moved to replace these once-prized assets.
What happened to Ryan Kent at Rangers?
The English winger enjoyed a fruitful five-year stint in Glasgow, registering 89 goal contributions – 33 goals and 56 assists – across 218 matches while winning the Premiership and Scottish Cup too.
The 2022/23 campaign, which proved to be his last at the Gers, saw his performances slip, and although he scored three goals and grabbed ten assists, he failed to put in consistent displays throughout the season.
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This led to him being released and although on his day, Kent could be wonderful, those days were few and far between under Beale and the manager clearly wanted to go in a different direction ahead of the current season.
The former Liverpool gem eventually joined Turkish side Fenerbahce and the 42-year-old has spent the entire window looking for a replacement.
Could there be a solution starring Beale right in the eye, however? Indeed, Rabbi Matondo has enjoyed a redemption of sorts recently following a woeful 2022/23.
How has Rabbi Matondo performed?
The Welsh winger arrived in a £2.5m deal from Schalke last summer and was expected to use his pace and creativity to vastly improve the Light Blues.
A return of just five assists across 28 games suggested that he failed to live up to expectations and having started just three games under Beale during the second half of last term, his future looked away from Ibrox.
The £28k-per-week gem has made huge strides during the summer and following a cameo against Livingston earlier this month where he grabbed an assist, the winger started against Greenock Morton in the League Cup.
Lauded as Rangers’ “bright spark” by journalist Euan Robertson during the game against the Championship outfit, the 22-year-old put himself in the frame for an outing against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.
He didn’t disappoint. Matondo emerged from the bench with just 23 minutes remaining, the tie finely poised at 1-1.
Following a free-flowing move by the home side, Matondo used his pace to wonderful effect and got onto the end of a stunning Cyriel Dessers pass to slot the ball into the net and give the Light Blues a 2-1 advantage.
It could certainly prove to be the catalyst that really kick-starts his Rangers career, and he was even praised by teammate Jack Butland, who said after the game:
“He’s been waiting a long time for that moment. He trains well, works hard and is great around the group. This season he’s come on and made some huge impacts.”
With Kent gone, Matondo could take full advantage and cement a regular spot in the starting XI over the coming months. His previous few matches have demonstrated the vast talent he possesses and this could be the beginning of a productive campaign for the youngster that finally sees him replicate Kent.
