Coventry City should consider signing 28-year-old free agent | OneFootball

Doug King should set up a move for former Coventry City loanee Ryan Kent, who is available after mutually terminating his Fenerbahce contract

After mutually terminating his contract with Fenerbahce just 16 months into a four-year deal, former Coventry City loanee Ryan Kent is once again available for transfer.

Looking to get his career back on trackm a move for the 28-year-old could be a something to strongly think about for the Sky Blues, who are also looking to reignite their campaign.

Kent's contract was terminated after repeated ostracisation from managers Ismail Kartal and Jose Mourinho.

The winger fell out with Kartal and was forced to train alone, but his struggles continued under Mourinho, and so the club felt it best to part ways with the former Liverpool man less than two years into his contract.

Now seeking a new challenge, a move to a rudderless Coventry side could be a great move for both parties.

Ryan Kent was excluded at Fenerbachce

Despite signing a four-year deal, Ryan Kent's time at Turkish side Fenerbahce could not have gone much worse.

After scoring on his European debut for the club against Zimbru Chisinau in the Conference League, Kent was quickly frozen out of the first team and saw his playing time greatly limited.

Manager Ismail Kartal decided against using the winger, and a reported dispute between manager and player resulted in the winger being forced to train alone.

Sadly for Kent, it was more of the same after Kartal's departure in May 2024, as he was cut out of the squad by Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho was also infuriated by the former Coventry man, as he reportedly turned down multiple offers in the summer to stay with Fenerbahce and see out his contract. However, after spending over a season with the club, the Englishman had made only 19 appearances, and the club subsequently terminated his contract by mutual consent.

Kent had allegedly been preparing to take the Turkish club to court over his treatment, but agreed to mutual termination and is now a free agent. A return to former suitors Coventry could be the revival which the wide man's career deeply needs.

Ryan Kent was formerly a loanee at Coventry City

After emerging from Liverpool's youth setup, a then-19-year-old Kent joined Coventry City on loan for the first half of their 2015/16 campaign in League One. The winger managed one goal and one assist in an impact substitute role that saw him make 17 appearances. His only goal came against Barnsley in a thrilling 4-3 victory.

Kent was recalled by Liverpool in January to be assessed by new boss Jurgen Klopp, but played no part in the club's season. He made just one appearance, which came in an FA Cup match against Exeter City.

Despite featuring for Coventry only partially, his impressive performances at such a young age earned Kent a season-long loan to Barnsley the season after, where he made 47 appearances in all competitions.

A move back to the club that acted as a stepping stone into professional football for Kent would be quite the fairytale return given both parties' current situations.

Ryan Kent played his best football at Rangers

After loan spells with SC Freiburg and Bristol City failed to result in a permanent move away from Anfield, it was a switch to Rangers that finally bore fruit. Kent moved to Ibrox for the 2018/19 campaign, where he was mightily impressive. The winger made 43 appearances, scoring six goals and assisting a further six.

This earned him a £6.5 million transfer to the Scottish giants, where he undoubtedly played the best football of his career.

A look at the statistics of Kent's most blistering season with Rangers shows just how potent the winger can be. 19 goal contributions in the league were backed up with an exceedingly high cross accuracy of 34.5%, which surpasses even the most accurate passers of a football.

For example, Kevin De Bruyne's cross accuracy in the 2022/23 season was only 28.8%. This gives an indication of the level at which Kent was operating at the time.

Ryan Kent could help Coventry City a lot

Although his career has taken somewhat of a downward turn since leaving Scotland for Turkey, Kent is still only 28 years old, and has a lot of life at the top level left in him.

Coventry already have the league's most accurate crosses per match at 6.1, and boast the 5th highest xG of 21.1. With Haji Wright already boasting seven league goals, Kent's delivery has the potential to extract even more goals from the forward.

Fellow striker Ellis Simms has struggled this season, managing only two goals. A powerful and robust individual, Kent's crossing could capitalise on Simms' physicality and enable the striker to get firing again.

Another benefit to signing the Englishman would be the experience he could bring to the Championship.

With 62 appearances in European competitions to his name, it is evident that Kent has a wealth of experience at the top level.

He may be able to implement this to mentor younger players who are establishing themselves in the side, such as Simms and Jack Rudoni.

There is also the chance that the signing of another winger will urge the struggling Ephron Mason-Clark towards better performances.

Already down the pecking order since his move from Peterborough, the wide man may see the introduction of more competition as an inspiration to improve. Whether events will transpire in this manner, only time will tell.

Adding Kent to an attack that is already creating a lot of chances could propel them back towards the top of the table.

There is no doubt that Doug King will be looking to improve the club's form by bringing in a new manager, but a move for the 28-year-old winger could further help to change their fortunes in January.