Highly rated young midfielder signs from Liverpool on a season long loan.
We are thrilled to announce the signing of England Under 20 International Ryan Kent who has today joined the Reds from Liverpool on a season long loan.
A product of Liverpool’s prestigious Academy system, 19 year old Kent is a dynamic winger who can play on the left or right hand side. He has already built up a reputation in the game as a player with huge potential and one who loves to take on and cause problems for defenders.
After an impressive 2014/15 campaign for the Liverpool Under 21’s team, his performances were rewarded with a call-up to the first-team squad for their 2015 pre-season tour of Bangkok, Brisbane, Adelaide and Malaysia.
His reputation was further enhanced last season after he spent part of the 2015/16 campaign on loan at Coventry City, making 17 appearances and scoring his first ever professional goal against Barnsley in a 4-3 victory for the Sky Blues back in November 2015.
The winger’s eye catching performances for Coventry prompted new Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to recall him back to Anfield in January 2016, where he made his first team debut for the Merseyside outfit in an FA Cup 3rd Round Tie against Exeter City.
Kent now heads to Oakwell looking to make a big impact and stamp his authority on the 2016/17 Sky Bet Championship season.
After enjoying his first day at Oakwell today, Ryan commented, "I’m delighted to sign for Barnsley, I am really looking forward to what the season holds for me. I have spoken to Paul (Heckingbottom) quite a lot over the last few weeks about how I am going to fit into the team and how we are looking to play this season. I feel I can bring a lot of excitement to the team, I can play on either side of the wing or behind the striker, I’m really lucky to be gifted with both feet which helps my game out a lot. I have a lot of speed and flair so I am looking forward to playing with the other players, hopefully we can build a good chemistry and get some good wins.”
On securing the signature of the winger, Head Coach Paul Heckingbottom commented, “We first enquired about Ryan last summer and we’ve continually monitored his progress, so I’m absolutely delighted to have him as part of our squad for next season. We saw a lot of him last season and he made a huge impression at Coventry. Playing out on either wing, he is fearless, and loves to take on his man and get balls into the box. Not only that, he can finish – as we saw against us at the Ricoh Arena last season! He’s one of the most highly rated youngsters in the country and now he has a great opportunity to step up and show us what he can do in the Championship. We beat off a number of Championship clubs to secure his signature which is testament to us as a Club and our ability to nurture up and coming talent. I’m very grateful to Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool for allowing Ryan to continue his development with us here at Barnsley and I’m really excited about seeing him in action”.
Watch the video above to get a glimpse of what Barnsley supporters can look forward to in Ryan Kent! An extended interview with the Reds latest signing will also soon be available to view on Barnsley Player HD!
We’ll also be putting the fans questions to Ryan as part of our ‘Getting To Know…’ series, which will appear on Barnsley Player HD! Want to ask the Reds latest summer signing a question? Tweet your questions to @bfc_offical and use the hashtag #AskRyan.
Ryan Kent is officially a Red for the 2016/17 Season! Make sure you’re part of what promises to be an exhilarating and exciting return to the Sky Bet Championship and get your 2016/17 Season Ticket online now by clicking here! Alternatively buy in-store or telephone 01226 211 183.
