The narrative surrounding the future of Ryan Kent has been somewhat contrasting over the last 24 hours with reports from England suggesting that he will “probably” sign for the Premier League new boys – if they up their bid.
How Steven Gerrard’s post match comments on the speculation about the forward’s link with Leeds United has been construed as anything other than a rejection is bizarre to say the least, and one comment in particular appears to have been spun.
The Gers gaffer was asked whether or not Kent has a release clause in his contract – why he would answer this with a specific figure is anyone’s guess – what sort of response the assembled media was expecting remains a mystery and Gerrard played with a straight bat in his usual, no-nonsense manner:
“Every player has different things in their contracts, that’s just the way it is.
“The message to Leeds is the opening bid is nowhere near the valuation and the player doesn’t really have one as we don’t want to sell.”
Confirming that he doesn’t have a release clause, because if he did, there would be a more definitive valuation of the 23-year old, Gerrard continued:
“We want the player to stay here, as do the board. The fans love him also and Leeds will need to respect that.
“They really need to think hard if they want to come in again. The message is ‘hands off’.
“What I will say is that if the valuation of any player is met then, as much as I would like the final say on it, it will probably be taken out of my hands.
“To be honest, I’m not really interested in reading into it whether they are going to come back or not.
“For me, it’s just a strong message that he’s not for sale.”
Now if I was to write an article about the potential sale of Ryan Kent to Leeds United, that last sentence is pretty black and white, however, some people have latched onto a further statement Gerrard made in which he appreciates the pull of the Premier League, however, at no point does he say that he thinks the player will be off if another bid is made.
Will Kent still be at Rangers at the end of the window?
Yes
No
Wha he did say is that it will “probably be taken out of my hands” if what the club values the player at is met, but seeing as Leeds are “way, way off” in the gaffer’s own words, that is unlikely to happen any time soon – not that it’ll make it any easier to sleep at night until the transfer window shuts.