West Ham told one condition means James Tavernier transfer makes sense | OneFootball

Relegated West Ham United could be in for Rangers' goal-scoring right-back James Tavernier, and FLW's Irons correspondent is cautiously optimistic.

West Ham United could be in the market for Rangers' former goalscoring right-back James Tavernier, and FLW's West Ham correspondent is cautiously optimistic that it could be a good move for his club.

This has already been a highly eventful year for West Ham United. Relegation from the Premier League at the end of 2025-26 and the departure of David Sullivan and Karren Brady from the club have been significant changes at The London Stadium, with the club's return to the Championship following an absence of a decade and a half representing a huge change for the club.

The target for West Ham for 2026-27 will be a quick return to the Premier League. They have already equaled their record from last season in terms of season-ticket sales, so the support is definitely still there, and the task ahead for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo will be to ensure that their return is as quick and painless as possible.

Santo has already been significantly boosted by the news that Jarrod Bowen is to stay at the club next season, but there are changes to be made for life in the Championship, and West Ham have recently been linked with a move for the former Rangers right-back James Tavernier, who has now left the Scottish giants after reaching the end of his contract at Ibrox.

Cautious optimism over Tavernier links to West Ham

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With James Tavernier having left Rangers after eleven years, West Ham have been amongst the clubs linked to giving the 34-year-old right-back a contract for the new season. Football League World have spoken to our West Ham fan pundit Ryan Horn about the possibility of his club signing him.

Ryan is cautiously optimistic about such a move given it's not costing a transfer fee: "I wouldn't mind if James Tavernier came to West Ham, especially on a free. If we had to pay for him, I wouldn't have signed him. His age is a bit of a worry, and the fact that he's been playing in the Scottish league for a little while."

But he also has concerns about the weight of the workload that faces West Ham in the Championship next season, and doesn't believe that Tavernier would necessarily be Nuno Espirito Santo's first choice at right-back: "There's a reason we're linked with him and he is a solid player, but I'm worried that if he takes an injury on and is out for an extended period of time, we're going to be playing almost three games a week sometimes and if we only have one right-back, Kyle Walker-Peters is solid and I'd expect him to be our starting right-back going into the season."

For all that, though, Ryan believes that this signing could work for West Ham, although he hopes that his club are looking beyond the immediate future in terms of their transfer policy: "I'd kind of hope that we'd go for someone with a bit more longevity, so if or when we go back to the Premier League we're not looking for another player in that position. But if we bought a young, up and coming right-back and we added James Tavernier on top of that, we could have some versatility like Kyle Walker-Peters, who can play left-back or right-back. I'm not against it, but I'm not thinking "bring him in" either."

What other West Ham fans are saying about a possible move for James Tavernier

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The possibility of a move for James Tavernier has provoked a lot of reaction from West Ham United fans online, and there's been a range of opinions on bringing him in.

This West Ham fan also follows Rangers, and he doesn't feel that Tavernier would be up to the job:

But this West Ham fan feels that the player's experience could be just what his club needs:

But this fan feels that bringing in a 34-year-old would be a short-termist way of looking at things:

There is already a lot of interest in signing James Tavernier this summer

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If James Tavernier's 11-year stay with Rangers was notable for anything, it was for his record in front of goal. By the time he left the club, he'd made 565 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring 144 goals for them and contributing 148 assists. Those 144 goals make him the highest-scoring defender in the history of British football, a record which he broke in March 2024.

West Ham are not alone in their interest in the defender, though, and they will find that there's plenty of competition for him. As well as interest from other Championship clubs, it's also been reported that MLS outfit Charlotte FC are leading the race for his signature, with interest from Premier League clubs Newcastle United, Everton and Aston Villa, as well as several Turkish clubs.

There are several moving parts to any West Ham move to Tavernier, not least of which is their desire to move Aaron Wan Bissaka on. He has been made available for sale, and any move for the former Rangers man may depend on their ability to get Wan Bissaka's wage off their books.

All things considered, this has been an optimistic summer for West Ham United. The club are headed for a new ownership structure which is clearly more popular with fans, their star striker is staying for the Championship season ahead, and season ticket sales have been strong.

And with the longer Championship season - which could amount to as many as 49 games, should they end in a play-off place - meaning that they need a bigger squad, James Tavernier is a cheap and available option for them, even though such is the calibre of the other clubs who've expressed an interest that signing him could yet prove to be something of a challenge.