Rangers duo on radar of English club as Caixinha plans to offload 14 players – report

Wed 21 June 2017 12:06, UK

By Harvey Byrne

Rangers duo Rob Kiernan and James Tavernier are on the radar of English Championship side Preston as manager Pedro Caixinha looks to overhaul his squad, according to a report.

The Scottish Sun has claimed that the March appointment is looking to offload as many as 14 players this summer with Clint Hill, Philippe Senderos, Jon Toral, Emerson Hyndman and Joe Garner already gone.

This has led to the Lancashire putting the Gers’ defensive pair on their summer wishlist and it is detailed that Preston tracked Kiernan before his move in 2015, while manager Simon Grayson is also thought to be a long-time admirer of Tavernier.

Both players played throughout the English leagues for various clubs such as Newcastle, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham before moving to Scotland in the summer of 2015.

They both helped Rangers win promotion back to the Premiership following the club’s demotion in 2012, but last season they struggled alongside many in Scotland’s top-flight.

Both Kiernan and Tavernier may now be seeking moves away with Caixinha having already brought in six players this summer, including centre-back duo Fabio Cardoso and Bruno Alves and he is still expected to add further to his squad.

Football Insider verdict:

Both Kiernan and Tavernier were two of a number of players to struggle last season with both having major question marks around their defensive play. Tavernier himself can be forgiven slightly for what he contributed in an attacking sense, but as a full-back that should just be secondary with defence his priority. Additionally, Rangers have bolstered their wide attacking options this summer meaning that Tavernier won’t be as relied upon to create something from out wide and Rangers should certainly consider offloading the duo, especially Kiernan, who many Gers fans will be hoping that he won’t get a look in, in the next campaign.