Igamane, Raskin react to James Tavernier’s heartfelt message amid Rangers exit links
Hamza Igamane and Nico Raskin have reacted to a new message from James Tavernier amid rumours that he could leave Rangers this summer.
A new era has arrived for Rangers, with Russell Martin now in the hotseat at Ibrox and aiming to knock Celtic off their perch by winning the Scottish Premiership in his first season in charge.
Martin has already moved to bring in defensive reinforcements in his first few weeks in the job, as Bournemouth man Max Aarons recently sealed a move to Ibrox, while Peterborough United defender Emmanuel Fernandez has also been snapped up by the Gers.
Their arrivals have raised question marks over Tavernier’s Rangers future, despite the fact he is a modern-day club legend with over 500 appearances and multiple trophies won in his 10 years playing in blue.
Football Insider revealed in April that Rangers are open to selling Tavernier this summer as he enters the final year of his contract, while former scout Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider last month that Rangers are prepared to accept offers for Tavernier following Aarons’ arrival, so he could be on his way out soon.
Tavernier reacts to Rangers’ Champions League win
Rangers’ competitive season has already got underway, and they emerged 2-0 victors against Greek side Panathinaikos in the Champions League second qualifying round at Ibrox on Tuesday (22 July), with Findlay Curtis and new man Djeidi Gassama netting the goals.
Despite rumours around his future at the club, Tavernier started the game and played the full 90 minutes at right-back, and he shared a heartfelt message after the win on Instagram on Wednesday (23 July), saying: “Loved being back in the competitive environment yesterday. Congrats (Curtis) & (Gassama) on your first goals for the club. Onto Wednesday!”
His post was liked by Raskin and fellow exit-linked Gers man Igamane, while Tom Lawrence, Leon Balogun, Danilo Pereira, Ridvan Yilmaz and Aarons were among those who followed suit.
Rangers should keep Tavernier despite new right-back arrivals
Football Insider verdict
It has been a summer of change at Ibrox with Martin taking the hotseat and six new players signed already, including Bournemouth midfielder Rothwell and Luton Town playmaker Thelo Aasgaard.
Five players departed the club upon the expiry of their contracts, and more exits could be on the way too with Football Insider recently revealing that Ross McCausland is being tracked by a number of clubs in England, Europe and the MLS, so the club could do with more consistency in terms of retaining a relatively similar squad to last term.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 513 | 130 | 142 |
Keeping Tavernier should be a no-brainer this summer for Martin, with that in mind, as he gets what it means to play for Rangers and leads by example every time he steps onto the pitch, while fans would surely be dismayed by his exit given his strong connection to many of them.
The 33-year-old would likely be comfortable playing at either centre-back or in central midfield if the new boss deploys him in either position, and could still yet be his first-choice at right-back depending on Aarons’ form.
He must be kept on at Ibrox for another campaign yet, but it would also come as little surprise to see him move on next year at the end of his Rangers contract, and a Scottish Premiership title would be a fitting end to his years of service at the club.