Sounders Announce Signing of English Winger Ryan Kent
The Seattle Sounders hope to spark their dysfunctional offense with the signing of winger Ryan Kent.
After another lackluster performance offensively from Seattle in their draw vs. San Jose on Saturday, the Seattle Sounders clearly are looking for answers to help get more goal production, creating an urgency to get one more name in the side before things got too out of hand from a standings perspective.
Thankfully, the Sounders were able to get their guy in and get the move over the finish line, officially announcing Ryan Kent’s arrival on Monday.
Kent brings a fresh look at the winger position in that he is a pure outside winger, not a wing back, not an attacking midfielder playing out wide, but a true winger. He does well in beating his man on 1-on-1 opportunities, getting crosses in, and getting in behind the defense from a wide position.
The 28-year old spent the beginning of his professional career as a highly touted prospect at English powerhouse Liverpool. But, after a few loan spells, things never panned out like expected and he transferred to Scottish side Rangers before the 2018/19 season. In those first two years, fans saw flashes of what made him such a highly rated talent coming out of England and then he fully broke out in the 2020/21 season. Scoring a career high 13 goals and adding 11 assists as a pure winger is quite impressive, especially in a league as difficult as the Scottish Premiership.
Kent offers Seattle a bit of a throwback in a sense because he hugs the touchline, creates chances by using his pace, and gets good crosses in. Many of today’s wingers are looking to cut inside and combine with the midfield and forwards and look to score themselves, but someone that provides width is key and that is something that is lacking in the current Sounders squad.
The real question boils down to how Kent will fit in in terms of playing time with the group. As of now, Georgi Minoungu and Paul Rothrock hold down those outside positions for Seattle, depending on the formation chosen by head coach Brian Schmetzer. Alex Roldan will also be slotted in, but more when Seattle plays with wing backs, so look for Kent to be rotated in both formations as he looks to get comfortable for a team that needs more pace and athleticism.
What might this mean for guys like Minoungu, who has impressed early in the season, and Rothrock, who showed everyone what he is capable of last season? It might seem like less playing time off the bat, but remember Seattle came into the season expecting a big role from Paul Arriola as well, and with his injury that will keep him sidelined for an extended period of time, Kent essentially comes in to fill that same slot in the meantime.
This is a shrewd, low risk, high reward move for the Sounders, as they get someone who was a free agent, has proven quality at the top level, and is still just 28 years old. If things don’t work out, they only have him for this year, and he helps fill out depth in a squad that desperately needs it with it’s current injury situation. If it does work out, Seattle has a club option for 2026 in place and maybe he finds his form again from when he was in Scotland and the Sounders have added an integral cog with some pace and power to an offense looking for anything at this point in the early season.
Some may wonder why he was without a club for the last five months, but in his first media availability this afternoon, Kent mentioned how he did have offers, but this was something he was interested in and he wanted to get it over the line. Overall, high marks to Sounders FC general manager Craig Waibel on pivoting quickly, recognizing the urgency needed with this team, and getting a replacement in for Arriola after his long term injury. Hopefully, Sounders fans will be able to enjoy a debut for the English winger soon, so he can get to know what it’s like to play for such a storied MLS franchise.
