Rangers captain James Tavernier signs contract extension

Rangers have announced that captain James Tavernier has signed an extension to his long-term contract at the club.

After spending time with nine different English clubs, the 30-year-old joined Rangers in 2015 and has since been a loyal servant to the Glaswegian giants.

The attack-minded right-back has scored 85 goals and provided 109 assists in 353 appearances for the Gers across all competitions.

Tavernier's exceptional form in the final third has seen him contribute to at least 35 goals in four of his seven seasons at the club.

Speaking to the club's official website on his new deal, Tavernier said: "I just want to spend more years here and have that security.

💙 The Captain

📝 #RangersFC captain @James_Tavernier has today signed an extension to his current long-term deal at Ibrox.

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) August 17, 2022

"It is such a great place to play football and I can't wait to see what the coming years have to bring.

"I am settled here, my family are settled here, so it was a no-brainer to get the contact extension over the line."

Tavernier is the last remaining player from the club's days in the lower divisions of Scottish football, winning the Championship title and the Petrofac Cup in the 2015-16 campaign.

After two years in the Premiership, the Bradford-born full-back was named Rangers' permanent captain in the summer of 2018 by former head coach Steven Gerrard.

© Reuters

Tavernier was a key player who helped the Gers end Celtic's nine-year dominance at the top of Scottish football in 2020-21, lifting the club's 55th Premiership title before enjoying success in the Scottish Cup final.

Tavernier became only the fourth captain in Rangers' history to lead his team out in a European final when they locked horns with eventual Europa League winner Eintracht Frankfurt last season.

Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst still regards Tavernier as an invaluable asset to his team, who are bidding to take the top-flight title back from reigning champions Celtic.

Tavernier will be hoping to lead his team out in the Champions League group stages this season, although their qualification hopes are hanging in the balance following Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Ibrox in the first leg of their playoff tie against PSV Eindhoven.