Football League World
·11 November 2024
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·11 November 2024
We asked our Preston North End fan pundit about their reported interest in Ryan Kent
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Preston North End have been told to sign Ryan Kent in January after it recently emerged that the Lilywhites were keen on a move for the former Liverpool and Rangers man.
Kent was released by Turkish giants Fenerbahçe and is currently a free agent, but he can't be registered until January, and Alan Nixon reported via his Patreon that North End were keen to strike a deal to bring him to Deepdale.
Heckingbottom has previously worked with Kent, spending time together at Barnsley during the 2016/17 season, where the winger spent time on loan from Liverpool and is keen to reunite with the 28-year-old.
However, Preston haven't played with wingers all too often this season, with the likes of Josh Bowler and Jeppe Okkels struggling for regular minutes, so it remains to be seen where Kent would fit in should he join the club.
We asked our Preston North End fan pundit, Darren Watson, whether he would like to see Kent move to Deepdale, and he believes that he'd be a good addition to the team.
Speaking to Football League World, Darren said: “I think it’s quite an interesting one, bringing Ryan Kent in.
“We all know he’s left Fenerbahçe, and he’s a free agent at the moment, but he can’t sign until January. I do feel that he’ll be a really good addition to the team.
"He’s not really played Okkels and Bowler so far this season, but I have sung their praises and when they’ve come on they’ve looked like really good players, or that they could be really good players.
“Will he play him in that winger position, or would he play him further upfield? It’s another thing, but we’ve just got to see.
"We know that Heckingbottom wants players to be brought in when January comes and that he wants his own style of players, like to play for North End, so we’re just going to have to wait and see what he brings into the team.
“It’s looking like a promising one, and I think that we can go out and get that player.”
While Preston don't always play with wingers, signing a player with Kent's experience and quality would give the Lilywhites a chance to change their system, and he'd undoubtedly improve their squad.
This is a player who has played for clubs like Liverpool, Rangers and Fenerbahçe, and it was only two-and-half years ago that he played an important role in helping Rangers to the Europa League final, playing 13 games en route to the final, and playing the full 120 minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt as they were defeated on penalties.
It would be a coup should any Championship side land his signature, let alone a Preston side struggling at the wrong end of the table, and his individual quality would surely be a huge boost to their chances of moving up the division.