Rangers: ‘Brilliant’ James Tavernier could now be allowed to leave Ibrox in lucrative transfer
James Tavernier “can do whatever he wants” after his service in Glasgow and should be allowed to decide if he wants to take up a big-money offer to leave Rangers, says Derek Ferguson.
The pundit is so appreciative of what the Light Blues captain has done for the club he says that if the chance to make big money before the end of his career is on the table nobody at Ibrox could begrudge him taking it.
The 32-year-old has been repeatedly linked to a Steven Gerrard reunion in Saudi Arabia, with HITC reporting on 14 March that the defender remains a target for Al-Ettifaq, as well as other SPL teams ahead of the summer window.
Tavernier, who scored an excellent opener in the 3-1 win over Hibs on 30 March despite seeing a controversial first-half penalty saved, has again been in top form this term, with the strike his 22nd in all competitions, and Ferguson can’t speak highly enough of him.
He exclusively told Ibrox News: “See with James Tavernier he can do whatever he wants because I absolutely love what he’s done for our club.
“So if it’s time for him to go and make a few pennies then I wouldn’t have any trouble whatsoever in letting him go, riding off into the sunset and making a few bob for himself.
“He’s taken a lot of stick over the course of the last few seasons, at times I’ve been critical but it’s been defensively.
“But what he’s done for our club, what he’s offered, and the amount of games that he churns out is quite unbelievable.
“He’s our captain, he’s a different type of captain in terms of he’s not the most vocal at times, but by God when we’ve needed him at big moments, not just this season, but last season, when we got 55, he came up trumps.
“He’s been a brilliant servant for us. I love him to bits and if he were to get an offer that he couldn’t refuse I think it’d be hard even for the guys in the boardroom because of the service he’s given to the club.
“He should be allowed to decide himself. If that offer comes in and it’s decent for us but it’s brilliant for Tavernier then he should go and take that offer up if it’s right for him and his family, definitely, he’s been brilliant for us.”
Rangers captain set to join up with Steven Gerrard again?
After 122 goals and 127 assists from right-back it isn’t hard to see why Gerrard might want his former captain to play for him again, and Tavernier would be far from the first player tempted by the money on offer in the Middle East.
The Rangers skipper is often criticised when things have gone badly in recent seasons, which he would be the first to admit is too often, but without him it is obvious that the club would have been in a far worse situation.
With Jordan Henderson the most high-profile player to fail to settle in Saudi Arabia there is no guarantee that the huge change would be right for Tavernier or his family, but the time is coming where Rangers have to do without him and were he to be tempted by a big money move this summer there would be plenty of Gers supporters who feel the same as Ferguson.
In other Rangers news, another key man has been linked to an exit but now looks certain to stay in Glasgow.
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