James Tavernier Leaves Rangers for Maccabi Tel Aviv
James Tavernier’s Rangers era is over. His next stop: Tel Aviv.
The 34-year-old captain, talisman and penalty specialist is set to fly to Israel today to undergo a medical ahead of a move to Maccabi Tel Aviv, closing in on a deal that would bring one of Rangers’ modern greats to the Israeli champions. The transfer has yet to be officially confirmed by Maccabi, but in Israel they are already bracing for one of the most high-profile arrivals the league has seen.
Reports in the country say Tavernier will earn around €1 million per season, a salary that underlines both his status and Maccabi’s intent. This is not a gamble on potential. It is a statement that they want ready-made leadership, goals and personality on the biggest nights.
A captain’s legacy leaving Ibrox
Tavernier walks away from Ibrox after 11 years that reshaped his career and his reputation. Signed as a right-back, he leaves as a Rangers Hall of Famer, inducted in 2023, and as one of the most influential figures to pull on the shirt in the club’s recent history.
The honours list tells only part of the story. He captained Steven Gerrard’s side to the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership title, the season that ended Celtic’s bid for 10-in-a-row and delivered an unbeaten league campaign. Add to that a Scottish Cup, a Premier Sports Cup, a Challenge Cup and a Championship title from the climb back up the divisions.
Then there was Europe. Tavernier finished as the Europa League’s top scorer in Rangers’ run to the 2022 final in Seville, hitting seven goals from right-back and driving the team to within a penalty shootout of the trophy. For a defender, his numbers are scarcely believable: 152 goals across his 11-year stay at Ibrox, many of them from the spot, many of them in moments that mattered.
He leaves behind not just medals and statistics, but an identity: the attacking full-back who could decide games like a No 10.
Kenny Miller’s big call
At Maccabi, this is not a signing by committee. According to Israeli journalist Ben Green, manager Kenny Miller has personally targeted Tavernier as a cornerstone of his plans.
Miller knows exactly what he is buying. The pair shared a dressing room at Rangers for three seasons, saw each other at close quarters in training and under pressure. That familiarity matters when you are reshaping a champion squad and need instant authority in the dressing room.
Speaking to the Israeli press recently, Miller did not hide his admiration. “I know him well, he’s a very high-level player, his name came up in the last month,” he said, making clear that this was more than a passing thought. This is a move built on trust and on memory: Miller has seen Tavernier lead, and now wants him to do it in yellow and blue.
A tactical shift on the cards
You do not sign a right-back with 152 Rangers goals and then ask him to sit quietly in a flat back four. In Israel, there is already talk that Maccabi could tweak their tactical approach to get the best out of him.
One option on the table is a shift towards a wing-back system, freeing Tavernier to operate higher up the pitch, closer to where he can hurt teams with his delivery, his late runs and, of course, his dead balls. It is a shape that would suit his instincts: defend when needed, but dominate the right flank when Maccabi have the ball.
For a club that expects to control most domestic games and make an impact in Europe, that kind of weapon on the right side can tilt tight contests. It is exactly the sort of adjustment that signals a marquee signing, not just another squad addition.
A new star for Ligat Ha'al
In Israel, the reaction has been immediate. Local media have described Tavernier as one of the most notable players ever to move to Ligat Ha'al, a name with European pedigree and a track record of delivering under pressure. This is the kind of transfer that raises the profile of a league, not just a club.
Maccabi are not stopping there. The club is also reinforcing elsewhere at the end of the window, with Gabi Kanikovsky returning from Ferencvaros to bolster the squad. The message is clear: they intend to stay on top at home and push harder abroad.
For Tavernier, the move is a sharp change of scenery after more than a decade in Glasgow. New league, new culture, new expectations. For Maccabi, it is the arrival of a proven leader who has lifted trophies, handled the weight of a giant club and carried a team deep into Europe.
If the medical goes to plan and the final details fall into place, the long-serving Rangers defender will swap Ibrox for Israel and start a new chapter under an old team-mate. The only real question now is simple: how much more can he still write into his story from the right flank of Bloomfield Stadium?
