James Tavernier's Transfer to Maccabi Tel Aviv Nears Completion
James Tavernier is due to board a flight to Israel today as his move to Maccabi Tel Aviv edges towards completion, with medical tests now the final major hurdle.
The transfer has yet to be rubber-stamped by the Israeli champions, but the deal is well advanced. Reports in Israel say the former Rangers captain will earn around €1 million per season, a marquee salary that underlines the scale of Maccabi’s ambition.
From Ibrox icon to Tel Aviv headline act
At 34, Tavernier arrives as far more than a short-term stopgap. He brings 11 years of Rangers history with him, a period in which he became one of the defining figures of the club’s modern era.
He captained Steven Gerrard’s side to the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership title, leading them through an unbeaten league campaign that snapped Celtic’s domestic dominance. His medal haul from Glasgow is heavy: one Premiership, one Scottish Cup, one Premier Sports Cup, one Challenge Cup and one Championship title.
There were European nights too. Tavernier drove Rangers all the way to the 2022 Europa League final in Seville and finished that campaign as the competition’s top scorer with seven goals – an almost absurd statistic for a defender.
Across his 11-year spell at Ibrox, he struck 152 goals. From right-back. The numbers turned him into a phenomenon as much as a full-back, and in 2023 they earned him a place in the Rangers Hall of Fame. He leaves behind not just a captain’s armband, but a legacy that will be hard to replicate.
Kenny Miller’s hand-picked signing
In Tel Aviv, this is not a signing by committee. According to Israeli journalist Ben Green, Maccabi manager Kenny Miller has personally driven the move for Tavernier as he reshapes his squad.
Miller knows exactly what he is buying. The pair shared a dressing room at Rangers for three seasons, watching each other at close quarters as Tavernier developed from promising full-back into a leader and a relentless attacking outlet.
Speaking recently to the Israeli media, Miller made no attempt to hide his admiration. “I know him well, he’s a very high-level player, his name came up in the last month,” the Maccabi boss said, underlining just how long this move has been in his thoughts.
Tactical shift on the cards
When a right-back arrives with a striker’s goal record, something usually has to give. In Israel, the conversation has already turned to how Maccabi might bend their system to unleash him.
One option on the table is a switch to a wing-back formation, freeing Tavernier to operate higher up the pitch and spend more time in the final third, where his crossing, set-pieces and late runs have caused so much damage over the years.
For Maccabi, this is not just a defensive reinforcement. It is a potential rebranding of their right flank.
A statement for Ligat Ha'al
Local coverage has been breathless. Israeli outlets have described Tavernier as one of the most notable players ever to join Ligat Ha'al, a name with European pedigree arriving in the closing stages of the transfer window.
Maccabi are not stopping at one headline signing either. Gabi Kanikovsky is returning to the club from Ferencvaros, adding another layer of quality and familiarity to a squad that expects to dominate domestically and make a dent in Europe.
If the medical goes to plan and the final paperwork follows, Tavernier will walk away from Ibrox after more than a decade and step into a new chapter under the Tel Aviv sun. A Rangers legend trading Glasgow’s glare for Israel’s intensity – and a league about to find out first-hand what happens when a defender turns up thinking like a forward.
