Pundit speculates Rangers star has had head 'Swayed' by Ibrox transfer speculation

Derek Ferguson has speculated James Tavernier may have had his head turned by offers to move away from Rangers.

Philippe Clement made the bold call to axe the skipper from his starting XI for the Europa League draw with Olympiacos on Thursday (7 November), with Dujon Sterling taking his place at right-back.

Reports suggested that the 33-year-old was the subject of transfer interest from the Middle East and Turkey this summer [Graeme Bailey, 6 September] and Open Goal pundit Ferguson believes that may have impacted Tavernier’s form.

Speaking on the Open Goal YouTube channel (7 November, 44:05) he said: “There can be a bit of everything as well.

“He’s maybe lost a wee bit in terms of his legs, has his head been swayed a wee bit as there were maybe offers somewhere else that didn’t materialise.

“He’s never been a good defender, but what he’s made up for is his stats in terms of his deliveries, in terms of setting up goals for people and his goals. He’s not delivering that any more.”

What has happened to Rangers captain James Tavernier at Ibrox?

It seemed as though Tavernier was nailed on to leave Ibrox this summer with so much speculation surrounding the Gers skipper throughout the entity of the transfer window.

Clement and his recruitment team worked hard to cut the Light Blues’ wage bill down by releasing the likes of John Lundstram and Borna Barisic, while Connor Goldson was also sold despite being a regular under the Belgian.

Most fans expected Tavernier to follow and looking back, it feels as though that should have been what happened. The Englishman has looked massively off of the pace so far this season and the time has come for him to depart Ibrox.

Perhaps the 33-year-old has realsied that himself and that could be why he hasn’t been at his best so far this season.

It feels like the best course of action for all parties involved would be to find a buyer when January rolls around.

In other Rangers news, Cerny has been told that he looks like a “little boy” when he plays in the Scottish Premiership

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