Rangers told to hold out for £10m James Tavernier transfer as Lionel Messi comparison made
Rangers shouldn’t let James Tavernier leave Ibrox for less than £10million this summer amid growing transfer interest, according to Kenny Miller.
The Light Blues’ skipper has been linked with a move away from Ibrox ahead of the summer transfer window, with reports suggesting Steven Gerrard is keen to bring him to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia [Daily Record, 24 April].
While BBC pundit Miller admits the Englishman has made plenty of mistakes this season, he has said that even Lionel Messi has occasionally put a foot out of line and therefore believes it would be “ridiculous” for the Gers to sell their star man.
Writing for the Daily Record on Sunday (28 April) he said: “In terms of Tavernier? Everyone knows what I think of the captain. And it’s ridiculous to be talking about the right side of Clement’s defence when it’s the left side that has needed fixing for some time now.
“Does Tav make mistakes? Absolutely. But does Lionel Messi make mistakes? Yes. The best players in the world make them. Unless someone comes in with £10m for Tav, I wouldn’t be letting him go. And even at that price, I’d question who would be available to do the same job.
“Not just because of his goals, which have been phenomenal. It’s everything about him as a footballer and what he gives this Rangers team. He’d be the biggest example yet of supporters not realising what they had until he’s gone.”
Will James Tavernier leave Rangers amid growing Saudi Arabia transfer speculation?
As Miller suggests, Tavernier hasn’t been at his best so far this season but that doesn’t mean Rangers should be actively looking to cut ties with the Englishman, especially when they have much more pressing issues to deal with.
Without Tavernier’s displays from right-back this term, the Light Blues wouldn’t even be in a title race with Celtic. The Gers captain has repeatedly stood up and performed to help drag Clement’s side out of trouble.
There aren’t many defenders in the world that have as big an impact on proceedings from the backline as the 32-year-old. Whilst there will always be those who brand him a “serial loser” he is doing everything he can to drag this team to silverware.
Hopefully, the Gers will do everything in their power to keep Tavernier at Ibrox this summer, but should a £10million offer arrive, that could well be enough to tempt Clement and his recruitment team into letting him go.
In other Rangers news, Mark Guidi has shared a new update around Connor Goldson’s situation amid Ibrox exit rumours
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