Tavernier 2.0: Rohl wants Dan Purdy to sign “perfect” £2m star for Rangers

Glasgow Rangers should focus on adding more creativity to their squad before the January transfer window, which opened for business on Thursday, slams shut.

Per Sofascore, full-back James Tavernier is the only player in the squad who has created more than three ‘big chances’ in the Scottish Premiership, with eight ‘big chances’ created and three assists to his name.

The Gers skipper has recorded 146 assists in 545 matches for the club in all competitions to date, showing that he has consistently provided a big threat as a creator from a right-back position throughout his time at Ibrox.

Rangers, though, have scored six fewer goals than Celtic and ten fewer goals than Hearts, the two teams above them, which suggests that they need more quality in possession, instead of solely relying on Tavernier’s creativity.

Rangers considering move for former Premiership star

Danny Rohl and the recruitment team at Ibrox appear to have identified this problem within the squad, as they are reportedly looking at a star who could be Tavernier 2.0.

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According to the Daily Record, Rohl is considering a move to bring AEK Athens left-back James Penrice to Glasgow Rangers in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the German head coach has placed the Scottish defender high up on his list of left-back targets this month, as he seeks out competition for Jayden Meghoma in that position. Rohl has already asked technical director Dan Purdy to check out his performances.

Penrice joined AEK Athens for £2m from Hearts in the summer transfer window before this season, but the report does not reveal how much of that £2m they would want back in order to cash in on him this month.

The Daily Record adds, though, that Rohl wants new signings in the building as quickly as possible in January, which means that their interest in Penrice could accelerate in the coming days.

Why Rangers should sign James Penrice

Rangers should push to seal a deal for the AEK Athens full-back because his form for Hearts in the 2024/25 campaign suggests that he can provide the creativity that the team currently lack outside of Tavernier.

Signing an experienced 27-year-old left-back option could also be a good decision, with 19-year-old Meghoma currently their only option in that role, providing Rohl with a good blend of youth and experience at left-back.

Penrice’s form in the Premiership for Hearts, prior to moving to Greece last summer, caught the eye because he ended last season with two goals and five assists to his name, per Sofascore.

The Scottish star, as shown in the clip, provides a set-piece threat with his brilliant inswinging deliveries on his left foot, just as Tavernier provides a similar threat with inswinging set-pieces on his right foot.

This means that Rohl’s team could be incredibly dangerous offensively from set-pieces on both sides of the pitch by starting two full-backs who are exceptional at putting the ball on a plate for their teammates.

As you can see in the table above, only Celtic’s Alistair Johnston and Tavernier created more ‘big chances’ in the Premiership than Penrice last term, which suggests that the Hearts star was unfortunate to end the campaign with just five assists to his name.

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STV Radio host Ewen Cameron claims that the experienced defender would be “perfect for Rangers” because of how good he was for Hearts, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment.

Penrice averaged 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game, 1.7 key passes per game, and created 14 ‘big chances’ in the Premiership last season for Hearts, per Sofascore.

This season, meanwhile, Meghoma has averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, 0.7 key passes per game, and created three ‘big chances’ midway through the current top-flight campaign, per Sofascore, for Rangers.

These statistics suggest that Penrice would arrive at Ibrox as an instant upgrade on the Brentford loanee, whilst also solving Rohl’s lack of creativity in the squad.

Therefore, Rangers must push to get a deal done for his services in the coming days so that the manager will have a left-back version of Tavernier who can provide consistent quality as a creative threat in the Premiership.

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