According to a recent report by Birmingham Mail, newly-promoted Premier League club, Aston Villa are believed to be targeting Rangers skipper James Tavernier.
Tavernier, 27, joined Rangers in 2015 from Wigan Athletic and has been a key player for the Gers. He enjoyed a superb season under Steven Gerrard this past season, scoring 17 goals and providing 20 assists in all competitions. Such a return from a defender is exceptional and the 27-year-old’s rampaging displays down the right may have attracted the attention of Aston Villa.
The Villans are back in the Premier League after a three-year exodus. They sealed their top-flight promotion with a thrilling play-off final victory over Derby County at Wembley. However, manager Dean Smith will have some big decisions to make soon in the transfer market.
The Birmingham-based club were helped by loan players like Tyrone Mings, Axel Tuanzebe, Anwar El Ghazi and their top scorer Tammy Abraham. There is no doubt that the Villans would want to have them again next season but it won’t be easy. Plus, Smith needs to make heavy investment in the summer transfer window to prepare a squad capable of first achieving survival in the top-flight.
Reinforcing the back-line has to be the first and foremost priority for Smith, with the likes of Kortney Hause, Tuanzebe and Mings returning back to their parent clubs. James Chester had an injury-hit campaign, while Tommy Elphick and Alan Hutton have been released by the club.
Villa already have one right-back joining the club this summer with Frenchman Frederic Guilbert heading to the Midlands after finishing the season with Caen. But the release of Hutton has left the right-back department a bit light, with Ahmed Elmohamady the only option other than Guilbert. Elmohamady is 31 and out of contract next year, so the signing of James Tavernier would make complete sense for Villa.
Tavernier is a rampaging full-back, whose overall contribution in the attacking third cannot be overlooked. The 27-year-old has bagged a truckload of assists and goals at Ibrox for the past two seasons, making him such an exciting, attacking full-back to have in the squad. However, he is defensively still vulnerable and lacks the positional awareness needed in a defender.
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Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has improved Tavernier defensively up to a certain degree but Smith will need to manage him properly if Aston Villa signs him. Overall, the Villans would get a vocal leader at the back and someone whose winning mentality could come handy for Smith’s side.
Tavernier has the quality to perform at the highest level and is a player Villa must sign as quickly as possible.