James Tavernier could become Rangers’ biggest legend with retirement at Ibrox on the cards
Rangers fans have been extremely lucky to witness the footballing ability of right-back James Tavernier over nearly nine years at the club.
The 32-year-old has made 433 appearances for the Gers since joining from Wigan Athletic in June 2015 and has captained most of those matches, scoring 116 goals in that time.
There is an argument to be made that Tavernier is one of the best right-backs in British football, let alone just at Rangers. And it could be a possibility that he will finish his career at Ibrox as the biggest legend the club has ever seen.
Tavernier helped Rangers to their first top-flight title in a decade in 2020/21. He also penned 12 goals and 11 assists over 33 games during the campaign before guiding the Gers to the 2021/22 Europa League final.
He also has a Scottish League Cup trophy to his name.
It is difficult to battle against the likes of Ally McCoist, Paul Gascoigne, Jim Baxter and John Greig. However, already regarded as one of Rangers’ best-ever, Tavernier already has one foot on the legendary ladder.
The full-back’s current contract will see him stay with Rangers until 2026 when he will be 34 years old, by which time he could be the biggest legend to ever step foot on the pitch at Ibrox.
Despite his talent and dedication to the right-back position, there has rarely been interest in the player from other clubs. Life in England never really worked out for Tavernier, experiencing loan after loan during his time with Newcastle United and Wigan.
But the reason for that sounds much simpler coming from former Rangers star Jermaine Defoe, who said via the Filthy Fellas podcast: “People need to realise, and a lot of people don’t actually realise for Tav [Tavernier] it has to be the right move for him, okay, if he is leaving Rangers, Rangers should be playing Champions League if you win the league.
“It’s so difficult going from (Rangers to elsewhere). You have to go and experience it at that club. You talk about the standards and the expectations. You can’t come second, you may as well come last.
“He’s in an environment where he is playing in front of 50,000 every week, crazy Rangers fans, it feels like 100,000 when you are in the stadium. Europa, or Champions League. He is the captain, and is winning trophies, if you look at the list of players who have played for that football club, big names.”
And even with the big names, Tavernier has been a fan-favourite for several seasons and could end his career as the biggest and best legend the Gers have ever seen.
In other Rangers news, Jonny McFarlane has raised a “concern” ahead of the Gers’ trip to Celtic at the weekend.