James Tavernier's Move to Maccabi Tel Aviv: A New Chapter

James Tavernier is expected to board a flight to Israel today as his move to Maccabi Tel Aviv edges towards completion.

The Rangers captain of a generation is closing in on a switch to the Israeli champions, who have yet to formally confirm the deal but are now deep into the final stages. Local reports say the 34-year-old will earn around €1 million per season in Tel Aviv, a salary that underlines the scale of the signing for Ligat Ha'al.

Miller’s man

This is not a move driven by agents alone. According to Israeli journalist Ben Green, Maccabi manager Kenny Miller has personally identified Tavernier as a key piece in his rebuild.

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 grew from promising full-back into the heartbeat of the Ibrox side.

Speaking recently to the Israeli press, Miller did little to 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 this was a targeted pursuit rather than an opportunistic late-window punt.

A system built around him?

Tavernier’s arrival does not just add another defender. It may reshape Maccabi’s entire approach.

There is growing talk in Israel that Miller could tweak his tactics to maximise the Englishman’s strengths, with a switch to a wing-back system among the options on the table. Such a change would push Tavernier higher up the pitch, closer to where he has done so much damage over the years.

For Rangers, he was never a conventional right-back. Across 11 seasons at Ibrox, he scored an astonishing 152 goals, numbers that most forwards would envy, let alone a defender. Penalties, free-kicks, late surges into the box – Tavernier turned the right flank into his personal stage.

Legacy from Ibrox to Tel Aviv

His honours list in Glasgow is already etched into club folklore. He captained Steven Gerrard’s side to the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership title, completing an unbeaten league campaign that snapped Celtic’s domestic dominance. Add to that one Scottish Cup, one Premier Sports Cup, one Challenge Cup and a Championship title, and his medal collection reflects his longevity and influence.

On the European stage, he produced one of the most remarkable campaigns by a full-back in modern times. During Rangers’ run to the 2022 Europa League final in Seville, Tavernier finished as the competition’s top scorer with seven goals, driving the team all the way to the brink of a historic trophy.

In 2023, Rangers inducted him into their Hall of Fame, a formal recognition of what supporters already knew: he had become one of the defining figures of the club’s modern era.

Leaving that behind is no small step. But in Israel, anticipation is building fast.

Local media have framed his impending arrival as one of the most notable signings in Ligat Ha'al history, a statement of intent from the champions as they look to stretch their domestic dominance and punch harder in Europe.

A new chapter in yellow and blue

Maccabi are not stopping at one marquee addition. Gabi Kanikovsky is also returning to the club from Ferencvaros as the window closes, giving Miller more quality and depth around his new right-sided leader.

If the medical goes as planned and the final paperwork drops into place, Tavernier will swap Ibrox for Bloomfield Stadium and begin a new chapter in Israel after more than a decade in Glasgow.

He leaves Scotland with records, silverware and a Hall of Fame place. Now the question is simple: how much more can he still write into his story in Tel Aviv?