Sport

Oldham’s Ryan Kent Eyeing Silverware on Shock Turkish Adventure

Gemma Carter February 12, 2024

WHEN Ryan Kent was coming through the ranks at Liverpool FC, he would have no doubt dreamt of lifting some of football’s most coveted trophies.

Selection for England’s ranks would have fortified those feelings yet further – could he become another Oldham native, alongside the likes of Walter Winterbottom and Katie Zelem, to enjoy success in the international game?

As it transpires, Kent’s career has taken on a more circuitous route to the top via Barnsley, Coventry City, and Glasgow Rangers, but now it’s his latest spell in a rather unexpected place that is fostering dreams of domestic and continental glory…

Ryan Kent when he visited Royton public house, the Greyhound Inn

Turkish Delight

The 27-year-old will no doubt be keeping tabs on the English game from his new home in Turkey, where he’ll be hoping his former club Liverpool can land some more silverware for their already weighty collection.

The Premier League winner odds suggest that the Reds have work to do to catch up with the favourites Manchester City. Liverpool are the 13/5 underdog compared to City’s quotes of 4/9. Most football betting tips columns will be backing the Cityzens too now that the world-class Kevin de Bruyne has returned successfully from injury.

Kent could well be locking horns with his former club and the greats of continental football next season, with his Fenerbahçe side cruising to a minimum of a top-two finish in the Turkish Super Lig.

The Sari Kanaryalar, which translates as ‘The Yellow Canaries’, find themselves more than 20 points clear of their nearest rivals in second place after 25 rounds of action, with the top-two finishers in the division securing a Champions League berth for 2024/25.

And it could yet get better for Kent, given that Fenerbahçe are within touching distance of the league leaders, Galatasaray. No stranger to the winning feeling having lifted the Scottish Premiership trophy in 2021, the Oldham native will be hoping that both he and Liverpool are celebrating double-delight come the end of the campaign.

Local Connection

Turkey may be thousands of miles away, but its top league has a distinct Greater Manchester feel to it.

The Super Lig’s top goalscorer, at the time of writing, is Edin Džeko, who you may recall from his successful spell at Manchester City. The Bosnian striker won two Premier Leagues and an FA Cup during his time in Greater Manchester, while he boasts an unusual record of being the only player to score 50 or more goals in three of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues. He was indeed a prolific marksman for Roma and Wolfsburg.

Another prominent figure in the Turkish top flight this term has been Wilfried Zaha, who you may remember from his torturous spell at Manchester United and better days with Crystal Palace. His 12 goal involvements have helped Galatasaray to the summit of the league table.

And then there’s Fred, the midfielder who spent five seasons at Old Trafford before linking up with Kent at Fenerbahçe.

So seismic is Greater Manchester’s influence on football that some of its ‘exports’ are prime players in title races thousands of miles away!