James Tavernier confronts a critical season at Rangers next year.
There are uncertainties regarding the 33-year-old’s future in Govan following Max Aarons’ arrival on a season-long loan deal.
He requires a strong season to guarantee his inclusion in Russell Martin’s plans moving forward and secure his spot in the team.
Martin has assured Tavernier that he remains part of his strategy for now, but that could shift if he experiences a subpar season.
Tavernier reacts as Carroll announces new club:
The Ibrox star and Andy Carroll are acquainted from their time at Newcastle United before they pursued significantly different paths.
The former Liverpool and West Ham forward used Instagram (13 July) to reveal his new move to National League South team Dagenham and Redbridge after their takeover by a consortium from Qatar.
In a shared post with the non-league club, he said: “Let’s get started.”
Tavernier responded by liking the post from his former teammate in the North East.
Rangers require substantial funding this summer:
Similar to the English team, the Gers need financial backing from their new majority owners, the 49ers Enterprises group and Andrew Cavenagh.
They have launched impressively so far, recruiting players like Aarons, Joe Rothwell, Thelo Aasgaard, Emmanuel Fernandez, Lyall Cameron, and Nasser Djiga.
However, additional acquisitions are essential if they aim to close the gap with arch-rivals Celtic anytime soon, as they trailed by 17 points in the Scottish Premiership last season and will start at a disadvantage when it resumes.
Without the necessary investment, that margin could widen in the upcoming campaign, but the new American investors have already made a noticeable impact in a brief timeframe.
As long as they keep demonstrating their financial strength and make prudent choices, it should result in a much improved season for the Light Blues after a dismal year under Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson last time around.
There is optimism at Rangers for the first time in a long while, and currently, it seems unlikely to fade anytime soon.