Bye-bye Tavernier: £10m Rangers star looks ready to be Rohl’s next captain

While Djeidi Gassama’s failed spot-kick may have proven decisive, it was the wayward attempt from Glasgow Rangers skipper, James Tavernier, that provided the bigger shock on Sunday afternoon.

Typically so reliable from dead-ball situations, the 34-year-old – who netted from the spot in the League Cup semi-final clash back in November – saw his effort strike the crossbar, handing the advantage to the visitors right from the off.

The veteran right-back remains the Gers’ top-scorer this season with 13 goals in all competitions, three more than Bojan Miovski in second, although no longer is he the go-to man under Danny Rohl, having started on the bench in both of the recent Old Firm meetings.

A stellar servant he has been over the last decade or so at Ibrox, yet now reduced to something of an impact role, the end looks in sight amid his expiring contract.

What Tavernier has said about his Rangers future

For a long while now, Tavernier’s future has been a talking point in Glasgow, memorably linked with a reunion with Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia back in 2024.

Persistent speculation has remained in the years since, although this summer could finally be the time when Rangers call it quits, with the full-back’s contract set to expire in June.

As reported by Football Insider, the Englishman is said to be keen to pen a new deal, should the club opt to hand out a fresh offer before the season is over.

The suggestion is that talks over an extension have been delayed, with Rangers holding concerns about keeping him on board, considering his age, not least with Dujon Sterling now the preferred pick on that right flank.

As he admitted in the wake of Sunday’s Scottish Cup exit, Tavernier’s priority in the short-term is to simply work his way back into the starting lineup and “play more minutes”, having given little away when asked about his contract situation:

“I just want to give it my all, like I’ve always done, and that’s the best I possibly can do for myself,” he added. “The team are working continuously hard and we’d obviously like to see silverware at the end of the season, but it’s game by game.”

Should a likely exit occur at the end of the campaign, then Rohl would have to settle on a new long-term captain at Ibrox.

£10m Rangers man looks like the next captain in the making

Sunday’s clash with Celtic saw Jack Butland take on the armband, in the absence of Tavernier, with John Souttar having been given the nod the previous week in the Premiership derby matchup.

Despite signing a new deal himself recently, Souttar’s long-term role in the side is up for debate, having been dropped in favour of Nasser Djiga at the weekend.

When he did enter the fray in extra-time, Celtic appeared to target both Souttar and fellow substitute Taverner down that right-flank, with the experienced pair something of a cause for concern.

Indeed, a more long-term successor to the armband – excluding the 33-year-old Butland – could well be Sunday’s star man, Emmanuel Fernandez, with the ex-Peterborough United man having secured almost undroppable status at the heart of Rohl’s backline.

A towering 6 foot 5 presence at centre-back, the Englishman was quite literally head and shoulders above the rest last time out, putting in a commanding display to ensure the Parkhead side failed to register a single shot on target across the 120 minutes of action.

The 24-year-old – who was denied what looked to be the winner after handling the ball on the goalline – has shaken off a quiet start at Ibrox to become a real leader in this side, notably thriving in an attacking sense too with six goals in all competitions to date.

Like Tavernier in 2015, he arrived as something of an unknown quantity after time in England’s lower leagues, although Fernandez’s brilliance has shone through since Rohl took charge, now reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.