There is a general run of thumb when it comes to the transfer market and selling players – a player is only worth what someone is willing to pay and what the selling club will accept.
This, of course, is irrelevant if nobody ever bids for a certain player, a club can’t pick and choose who they sell, someone has to make an offer before a decision can be made, sounds simple enough, right?
Well, not for Michael Stewart, who, writing on the BBC Sport website claims that Rangers should sell James Tavernier and not Borna Barisic, if speculation linking the Croatian international with a move away from Ibrox are to be believed.
When speaking about the left-back’s reaction at the final whistle, he said:
“For me, Barisic would not be the first on my list of players for Rangers to cash in on. If it was up to me, I’d let Tavernier go.
“The way Rangers play, Barisic is so crucial. Before he came into form, Rangers were so un-balanced with Tavernier the only one who was able to provide a threat out wide. The Croat’s emergence transformed them.
“Calvin Bassey is not a bad cover option, but questions remain as to whether he can reach the levels of Barisic.
“If you sell Tavernier, you’ve got a ready-made replacement in Patterson just waiting to play. I believe the young Scot can at least match Tavernier’s quality and eventually surpass him.”
The irony of saying that Barisic is crucial because of the way that we play whilst also suggesting we should sell a right-back with 65 goals and 94 assists in 295 appearances isn’t lost on me, yes, I get his point that Nathan Patterson looks as though he is the real deal and will one day usurp his skipper, but not yet.
An £8million bid from Everton suggests that it could be the 19-year old that attracts the most interest anyway and with Tavernier still having a good few years ahead of him, we might never get to see the Scotland International fulfil his potential in a Light Blue shirt.
I don’t think people like Stewart will ever accept just how good Tavernier is, instead they will point to the few errors he has mad at the back rather than how prolific he is at the other end of the park, there are wingers that have cost millions all around European football that would love his numbers.
We shouldn’t be shocked though, this is the same man who used “biomechanics” as a reason why a stonewall penalty was incorrectly given for Rangers.