Former England international, Darren Bent, feels that on-loan winger, Sheyi Ojo, needs to follow Ryan Kent’s example and make a permanent move away from Anfield, according to an interview with Football Insider.
Ojo, on his fifth loan spell away from Liverpool, has seen his game time restricted in recent weeks due to Kent’s return to action and a positional shift for Joe Aribo.
So what has Bent said?
Bent was asked about Ojo’s current situation with the Ibrox side and said:
“Loans are about game time and if you’re getting sent here, there and everywhere, you going to have to impress consistently. At some stage, you’re just going to have to”.
“You have to stand up and be counted, for some people it takes a couple of loans and it works out for them, look at Tammy Abraham. Did well at Aston Villa, did well at Bristol City and is now flying in the Premier League”.
“When you keep going on loan, it can upset you a bit as you can never settle, as you’re always thinking – ‘Where will I be next season?’.
“And I think it won’t do you any favours, so I think at some stage Ojo is going to have to leave Liverpool, go somewhere, it might be the Championship, it might be Scottish football, sign permanently and make a career from there. Sign for someone permanently on a four-year deal and get yourself right, he can’t be settling anywhere, when it’s loan-loan-loan all the time”.
So is Bent correct?
Ojo looked to have made a decent start to his time with the Light Blues when he fired in 5 goals in his first 12 appearances and also contributed with 4 assists, his pace on the counter attack, ability to shoot with either foot and play on either side of the attack were useful weapons in the early stages of the season.
Since his spectacular winner against Feyenoord at Ibrox there has been little to get excited about, fleeting moments of skill usually followed by poor decision making or lost opportunities. This also coincided with the return to fitness of Kent, Ojo had been expected to play alongside his former Liverpool youth team-mate; especially with Scott Arfield out of form, Jordan Jones injured and Jamie Murphy not yet able to recover his best form following knee surgery, the opportunity was there, but he has been unable to take it.
The writing is on the wall for Ojo, if he can’t hold down a regular spot on loan, he definitely won’t be able to make an impact at the best club in Europe, Bent is right, he needs to seek a permanent move away from Liverpool and, even if he has to take a step back, play regular football. There had been rumours of an offer from Rangers but these have subsequently died down given the dramatic decline in his form and how unpopular the move would be amongst Gers fans, especially with Glenn Middleton’s return from Hibernian.
Should Rangers sign Sheyi Ojo permanently?
Yes
No
Ojo looks like a player that isn’t settled, he has shown flashes of what he is capable of but not consistently enough, a trademark of a player who has had to adapt to several different manager’s philosophies and styles of play. He may yet prove the doubters wrong and fulfil his obvious potential, however, bouncing from club to club isn’t the way to do it.