When discussing the best signing of the last decade or so at Glasgow Rangers, there can only be one answer – James Tavernier.
Plucked from England for a fee of just £200k, the rampaging right-back has gone on to enjoy a remarkable almost 11-year stay at Ibrox, producing heroics time and again as the Gers’ undoubted talisman.
While his defensive prowess has often remained under the microscope, it’s difficult to argue with what the Englishman offers in an attacking sense, now up to 143 goals and 148 assists in 557 games in all competitions.
That is a record that any forward would be proud of, let alone a right-back, with Tavernier still the top scorer again this season with 13 in total, despite a raft of attacking arrivals.
The question remains, however, as to whether the end is in sight for the Rangers skipper in Glasgow?
Latest on James Tavernier’s contract situation
For all the focus on the club’s current Premiership title bid under Danny Rohl, the Light Blues appear to already be planning for next season, amid reports that they are pushing to extend Mikey Moore’s stay at Ibrox.
The Old Firm side have already announced a new contract for one of the senior figures in the squad, John Souttar, with the Scotland centre-back seeing his deal extended until the summer of 2027, with the option of an extra year.
Whether Tavernier follows suit over the coming weeks and months remains to be seen, with Football Insider reporting earlier this month that the defender’s age appears to be the biggest obstacle to a new deal.
Indeed, at 34, he’s no longer exactly a long-term solution nor necessarily a first-choice pick, with Rohl favouring the injury-prone Dujon Sterling for the crucial top of the table clash with Hearts.
Tavernier had netted a first hat-trick for the club against Queen’s Park prior to that, although when speaking after the game, Rohl gave no guarantees or assurances that an extension is in the pipeline.
“Yeah, let’s see. “I think we are very clear with Tav in this direction. He knows our schedule and then we will come to a point where we make a decision.
“But let’s carry on and I think this is also helpful for him.”
The end could then be in sight for the long-serving skipper, although if that is to be the case, the club do appear to be building for a bright future regardless, with similar style deals having already taken place.
£10m Rangers star looks like another Tavernier in the making
When Rangers poached Tavernier from Wigan Athletic back in 2015, it didn’t necessarily appear a major coup at the time, with the then-emerging talent having previously endured a string of loan spells away from former club Newcastle United.
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Across his time in England, he played for nine clubs across the EFL, yet only actually scored for two of them, with his most fruitful spells at Rotherham United and Bristol City having come in the third tier.
Since making the leap, however, the veteran sensation has gone on to reach unthinkable heights, something that the Gers will now hope Emmanuel Fernandez can achieve following his own switch from England’s lower leagues.
The 24-year-old – who was the same age as Tavernier had been at the time of his move – was snapped up from League One outfit Peterbrough United on a £3.5m deal over the summer, having actually only made 69 senior appearances at the time.
61 of those had come with his former employers, scoring seven goals, with the 6 foot 5 centre-back doing enough to convince Rangers to bring him up to Glasgow.
|
Fernandez – 25/26 SPFL stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat (*per game) |
Record |
|
Games |
18 |
|
Goals |
5 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Pass accuracy* |
88% |
|
Total duels won* |
69% |
|
Aerial duels won* |
74% |
|
Tackles* |
1.7 |
|
Interceptions* |
1.4 |
|
Errors |
0 |
|
Clean sheets |
8 |
That relatively low-cost deal already looks like something of a bargain, not least with recent reports indicating that the Ibrox side have slapped a minimum £10m price tag on his head, amid notable interest from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Like Tavernier, what has particularly caught the eye is just what an asset Fernandez is in an attacking sense, despite lining up at the heart of the backline, having already scored six times this season in all competitions.
The latest of those efforts saw the Englishman rifle home in stunning fashion to kickstart the comeback against Livingston, with his five Premiership goals ensuring he is behind only Tavernier and Youssef Chermiti (seven) in the club’s scoring charts.
Fifth on the list too for goals in all competitions, Fernandez is almost emerging as something of a cheat code in the opposition box. While Tavernier is a weapon with his set-piece delivery, the centre-back is a monster at pouncing on such openings.
While the aforementioned interest in the former Posh star may ensure his stay at Ibrox stay proves rather brief, hopefully he can follow in Tavernier’s footsteps and remain a centrepiece of this side for a long while to come yet.
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