Michael Stewart stands by his view that Rangers should have sold captain James Tavernier in 2021 and made Nathan Patterson the first choice right-back.
It comes after the final European transfer windows closed recently, including in Turkey where Tavernier was heavily linked with a move to – the likes of Trabzonspor and Besiktas were credited with interest in the summer.
Philippe Clement insists no bids were made for the Rangers skipper and branded the transfer exit noise as mere speculation.
Rangers fans have been unhappy with Tavernier’s performances of late – particularly in the Old Firm defeat to Celtic – and questions have been asked whether he should still be at the club.
Premier Sports pundit Stewart, speaking on The Scottish Football Social Club, thinks it would have been very difficult for Rangers to sanction Tavernier’s exit in the summer if indeed interest in him was real.
But he revisited his own viewpoint in 2021 when he said the Light Blues should have cashed in on Tavernier when Steven Gerrard was still the manager.
And in turn, that would have allowed Rangers to appoint young defender Nathan Patterson as first choice right-back and develop him even further to the point where he could be sold on.
Patterson was sold for around £12m with add ons taking the fee to potentially £16m – but Stewart says Rangers missed a trick with Tavernier.
Michael Stewart reiterates James Tavernier opinion
Stewart said on Monday: “It’s a tough one. James Tavernier has obviously taken a lot of stick because he’s the captain and the focal point of the team – and he’s been there for a long time.
“But I think in this (summer) window, they couldn’t afford to lose him because he’s another leader then gone out the team and who is he going to be replaced by?
“Look, I said about three years ago and it would have been an incredibly tough decision, but they probably should have sold Tavernier then.
“And they had the likes of Patterson coming through who would have been the right-back for the next five years and then you would have sold Patterson for big money as well. That’s how you create continuity, sustainability and longevity.
“They got good money for Patterson, probably ahead of his time, now you’ve got Tavernier who we know is obviously going to get to a stage where he starts to dip. And then you don’t have that resale value for him.
“Now it’s a real difficult one. Who in the squad has that resale value now?”
What Stewart said about Tavernier in 2021
Stewart told BBC Sportsound at the time, via The Scottish Sun: “Tavernier has just signed a new contract with Rangers and is hitting his peak. He could excel for another two or three seasons, there’s no question about that.
“But when you’re looking at the longevity and progress of Nathan Patterson, signing Tavernier for another three years isn’t ideal.
“It’s a difficult one to then continue Patterson’s progress when your captain and one of the main players in your team is inevitably going to be starting every game.
“There’s no doubt Tavernier is a better player at this moment in time. But you look at longevity. Patterson is 19 and will be 20 this year. Tavernier is 29 now.
“So Patterson is someone who could be at Rangers for a decade. These are tough decisions to make for a manager. But I don’t think it would have been managerial suicide to have not re-signed Tavernier.
“If you sell him you’re making a lot of money. And you’re getting a youth player through the system that you could potentially sell in five or six years for a lot of money as well.”
