What Rangers would lose if James Tavernier was sold | OneFootball

We discussed earlier the Saudi interest in James Tavernier, and the potential £7M bid that one or two clubs are looking at him with, especially his former gaffer Steven Gerrard who knows better than most the contribution Rangers’ captain can make.

And on that note, Tavernier’s contribution this season is probably among the most staggering of any player in any recent time, and it’s hard to knock the boy when one looks at his numbers in BOTH attack AND defence.

While Tav will always have his doubters, and Ibrox Noise will probably never be completely sold on him or his biggest fan, we are also fair and we can completely recognise Rangers will lose a LOT when he does move on.

We wanted to look at exactly what he offers Rangers and why he’s regarded arguably as the most important player in the Scottish Premiership.

The basic part, of course, is the goals and assists, for a RB. They’re incredible – 31 in 47. These are stunning numbers.

Of course the one caveat this season was he was, actually, a complete fail statistically in the Europa League. He just didn’t live up to his domestic performance, and offered nothing at that level. 8 matches, 0 goals, 0 assists. He just didn’t shine for the club and actually had quite a few stinking matches.

This could be evidence that level is now a bit too high for him, and he also struggled in the Champions League qualifiers, albeit he still scored 3 times – including a penalty. No assists.

And yet, the real priority this season was always domestic, and on those levels he’s been sensational. 35 appearances, 18 goals, 10 assists. 28. Pretty peerless.

But he’s a RB, so let’s look at his defensive numbers:

Tackles – highest at Rangers with 60, 8th in the league.

Interceptions – highest at Rangers with 28, 15th in the league.

Clearances – second highest behind Goldson at Rangers with 64 (Goldson has 79), 38th in the league.

Tavernier’s rate of defending is not as strong as it was earlier in the season. Back then he was third in the league for tackles, and he has dropped his level a bit. He is, however, consistently, overall, Rangers’ most effective defender in terms of contribution, but then he’s played every single match which does give him a pure advantage by the numbers.

But he’s still overall Rangers’ top contributor in both attack and defence. He gets in more good crosses than anyone else in the SPL aside Killie’s Danny Armstrong, with 75, and of course by a distance is the stats sites’ number one rated player, with 8.16.

In short, Tavernier, for his faults, and he has a few, is still the most effective player at Ibrox, and remains a strong contender in the SPL, even if his level has notably dipped in 2024 defensively.

£7M you say?