Michael Beale and old pal Steven Gerrard reunited in Saudi earlier this week.
The two former Rangers managers are back working together for the first time since the latter was sacked by Aston Villa back in October 2022.
Both coaches left the Premier League side with Beale going on to become a boss in his own right at QPR and Sunderland sandwiching an Ibrox stint.
During his years in Glasgow, Beale developed a strong working relationship with a number of players as a coach, initially, and then as manager.
None more so than captain James Tavernier who was the standout performer – as he has been so often – under the Englishman.
The skipper has been off the boil this season so far with just the one goal and four assists compared to his normal scoring statistics.
Some fans and pundits have speculated that Tav could be playing his final season at Rangers and there has already been interested clubs previously who may return to the table with a concrete approach.
And after Beale joined Al-Ettifaq and Gerrard, fans reacted to the announcement with the suggestion that the management duo may well immediately raid Ibrox for the 33-year-old.
Fans reacted to Beale’s appointment at Al-Ettifaq and assume Tavernier will be a transfer target
One fan took to social media to say: “Michael Beale joining Gerrard in Saudi it’s always certain they’ll try and take Tav, come and get him pls”.
Another added: “James Tavernier to move to Al-Ettifaq”, as one wrote: “Tavernier to Saudi written all over it.”
“They’re definitely signing Tav when his deal is up. 100%,” said another. A fourth commented: “If they can get him out of his contract Tavernier will be away”.
Tavernier’s contract at Rangers expires in 2026 so he would command a fee to leave the club.
Beale may have been credited as a big fan of Tavernier, but Gerrard has also lauded his old skipper in the past.
What has Steven Gerrard said about James Tavernier?
Back in 2020 Gerrard said of Tav’s form: “Sensational and he deserves all the plaudits.
“People will talk about the assists and the goals but I judge James differently.
“I judge him on as soon as he walks through the door, what’s he doing? Is he helping me set the standards? Is he professional in everything he does? Is he leading by example? Is he helping the young lads? Is he making sure everyone is at it and the culture remains strong?
“Tav is right up there. The way we play really suits James. The pleasing thing for me is he is still contributing to the other side of the game. He’s pressing, he’s really aggressive, he’s winning his duels, stopping crosses.
“Our clean sheet record, to me, is just as important as James’ other numbers. Where he is right now, he needs to bottle it and stay there for as long as he can because he’s in fantastic form.”
