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Is captain Tavernier nearing the end at Rangers?

Two pictures of Rangers captain James Tavernier

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James Tavernier has known highs and lows with Rangers

 

Andy Campbell

BBC Sport Scotland

Published

9 hours ago

Could James Tavernier’s nine-year stint at Rangers be coming to an end? It is a question that remains live even after the Scottish transfer window has closed.

 

Now 32, the club captain and right-back is at somewhat of a crossroads amid speculation linking him with Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where the transfer window remains open for now.

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On the last day of March, Tavernier scored against Hibernian to become British football’s highest scoring defender with 131 goals.

 

The Ibrox side were also going for the Scottish Premiership title and maintained an interest in the Scottish Cup, having won the League Cup earlier in the season.

 

The Englishman would add two more goals to his tally but neither were in victories as Rangers’ title and cup challenge ended fruitless, with Celtic  again winning both.As season 2024-25 gets into full swing, Tavernier is one of the last men standing from Steven Gerrard’s title-winning squad of 2020-21.

 

Leon Balogun and Ianis Hagi are also still at the club but the latter has been exiled, while Balogun is playing more of a supporting role.

 

And, as captain, criticism has come more in Tavernier’s direction than elsewhere as Rangers have stuttered early in the sea son.A Champions League qualifying exit dented the club’s revenue hopes and a 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park in their last outing left them five points behind both the reigning champions and Aberdeen after four games.

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The frustration of one supporter boiled over into verbal confrontation outside Ibrox in the wake of that derby loss and soon reports surfaced about Tavernier being on the radar of Turkish clubs.

 

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