Leon King to leave Rangers for England on loan with multiple clubs interested – Chris Jack
Rangers are set to let Leon King leave for England on loan before the transfer window shuts, according to Chris Jack.
The journalist reported on The Herald’s website Monday 28 August that the young defender is due to move to the Championship or League One south of the border with his first-team opportunities “limited” at Ibrox.
The Gers are “poised to sanction” the move with various sides showing interest in the 19-year-old centre-back, as the club are “keen” to “ensure that his development continues” after playing more minutes than any other teenager in last season’s Champions League (372).
King made a total of 26 appearances last term amid an injury crisis in defence but saw his first-team chances diminish significantly when Michael Beale took over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Blocked
King getting a better chance to play senior football elsewhere makes more sense than him sitting on the bench on in the stands for months.
The injury he picked up during the summer proved not to be as serious as first feared, but Leon Balogun was quickly brought back to Ibrox as cover so the youngster’s route to the XI has been crowded even further since last season.
Beale has been looking for another left-footed defender in the window as well so there is the possibility that yet further reinforcements arrive.
That might see Ben Davies moves on as there have been suggestions this summer that he could be the man sacrificed.
Either way that would mean four senior options ahead of King, with Connor Goldson and John Souttar looking like they have the starting partnership tied up for now.
It may be more useful for him to get an SPFL loan move in the same way that Alex Lowry has, but if the interest is all coming from England then football somewhere is better than nowhere.
In other Rangers news, Tom English branded one Ibrox ace’s response to anger from the fans as “sumptuous”.