Big-money bid on the cards for ‘Outstanding’ Rangers player – pundit
Former Hibernian player Tam McManus claims Rangers right-back James Tavernier could be the target of a “big money” bid from England this year.
Tavernier, 29, has been in sensational form at Ibrox this season with the Gers captain scoring 17 goals and supplying 14 assists in 33 appearances across all competitions.
However, former BBC Sportsound pundit McManus has warned that Tavernier’s form may lead to offers from south of the border that could really turn Rangers’ head.
Speaking on PLZ Soccer’s The Football Show on Wednesday, McManus said: “There were some offers in the summer for some of the players and they kept them because this season was massive for Rangers.
“They gambled everything into stopping Celtic winning 10-in-a-row and getting themselves into the Champions League. Now that’s near enough certain, there’ll be guys who they sell.
“I think [Alfredo] Morelos will definitely go – they’ll look to cash in on him – and there are other guys there who’ve been outstanding.
“Tavernier, somebody could come in for him from England and pay big money for him. He’s been absolutely brilliant for Rangers and I’m sure there are clubs in England who’ll take him.”
Age on Rangers’ side
By the time next season kicks off, Tavernier will not be too far away from his 30th birthday so will top clubs in England really be willing to pay top-dollar for someone who they might not deem to have too many campaigns left in him?
Tavernier’s age could be on Rangers’ side going into the next few transfer windows because although you cannot ignore his ridiculously good goalscoring and assist records, Premier League teams will also not ignore the fact he’s going to be 30 by the end of this year.
In the Scottish Premiership, Tavernier’s age is not seen as an issue at all. We’ve seen Jermain Defoe, Steven Davis and Allan McGregor produce some stunning performances this season so Tavernier could be kept for a long time at Ibrox.
But will English clubs be so patient?
One cause for concern could be Brexit, however. Clubs will now find it harder to sign players from outside of the UK so Tavernier may emerge as a right-back options for many teams down south. If that’s the case, that could help beef up Rangers’ bank account if clubs become desperate.
However, we’d rather keep Tavernier. He’s one of the best players we’ve seen at Ibrox in a long time and could be the man to lift the league trophy at the end of the season.
In other Rangers news, Charlie Adam claims this Gers forward could join an English club.