It has started to feel like James Tavernier’s time as the first-choice right-back at Glasgow Rangers has been in question every single transfer window in recent seasons.
The Light Blues captain is not a perfect player. He has defensive flaws that sometimes see him caught out defending the back post or switching off in transition.
However, he always seems to find a way to get back into the starting XI by proving his worth on the pitch with his performances for the Scottish Premiership giants, which is exactly what he has done this season.
Why James Tavernier is still a starter for Rangers
Tavernier turns 34 next month and is valued at just £1.3m by Transfermarkt, but he looks worth way more than that on the field for Russell Martin’s side.
The English defender has started three of the club’s five matches in the Scottish Premiership so far, per Sofascore, and delivered two goals and seven chances created.
Taverniers scored five goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign for Rangers, per Transfermarkt, and is showing that he still has what it takes to put up impressive numbers in the final third this season.
One of the reasons why he is a locked-in starter for Rangers at the moment is that summer signing Max Aarons has failed to live up to expectations so far.
Why Max Aarons looks worth less than James Tavernier
The Bournemouth loanee was an exciting addition to the squad at the time of his arrival from the Premier League side, as he had been incredibly highly-rated in the past with Norwich.
Aarons won two Championship titles with the Canaries down south and was reportedly valued at a whopping £30m by Norwich in 2021. That came a year after Spanish giants Barcelona failed with an attempt to sign him on loan to bolster their squad.
Now, a player once valued at £30m and pursued by Barcelona looks worth less than Tavernier on the pitch for Rangers this season, which is why the captain has retained his spot as the first-choice right-back.
Appearances
5
3
Sofascore rating
7.02
6.63
Goals
2
0
Big chances created
1
0
Key passes per game
1.4
0.3
Duels won per game
3.0
4.0
As you can see in the table above, the Gers skipper looks worth more than Aarons based on their respective performances in the Premiership this season, as the Bournemouth loanee has not offered anywhere near enough of a threat in possession from a full-back position.
The former Norwich star has not played a minute of football for the Gers since he was given a straight red card for hauling Christos Tzolis down early on in the 6-0 defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Aarons has been an unused substitute in the last two Premiership matches, which Tavernier has started, after being sent off in that European humiliation.
BBC Sport reporter Kenny Macintyre said “Max Aarons for me in every game has looked out of his depth. I know it’s early days but it’s a huge concern” after the first leg against Club Brugge, an opinion that is unlikely to have been changed by the defender’s sending-off in the second leg.
Aarons, simply, has not been good enough on or off the ball in the games that he has played for the Light Blues since his move to Ibrox in the summer, which is why Tavernier is the current first-choice and looks worth even more than him to the team.
Hopefully, the 25-year-old full-back will be able to turn his Ibrox career around and start to show supporters why he was once wanted by Barcelona and valued at £30m.