Derby County urged to avoid bargain £0 swoop for 144-goal Rangers star | OneFootball

James Tavernier is due to leave Ibrox on a free transfer after an 11-year spell

Derby County look set for another busy transfer window this summer under John Eustace.

By his own admission last Monday to BBC Radio Derby, the head coach wants to "expose Derby County as one of the top teams... we want top Championship players wanting to come here."

Someone who is perhaps seen by many as a player worthy of a move to a 'top' Championship team is James Tavernier.

Upon the expiration of his contract, the Rangers captain is due to leave Ibrox after an 11-year spell that has yielded a remarkable 144 goals from right-back.

Despite all these goals, even the suggestion of a possible move to Derbyshire doesn't sit right with FLW's Rams Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward.

Derby County urged to avoid £0 swoop for Rangers star

Woodward has firmly dismissed the prospect of Derby ever pursuing Tavernier in the summer, primarily because of the right-back’s age, but also because of the other options at Eustace's disposal.

"I would be very surprised to see us go for a player like him at his age - he’s 34-years-old," the Fan Pundit told FLW.

"I don’t think we need to be bringing in players that we could only offer a one year contract to. I think we’ve brought in Max Johnston to be our number one right-back and long-term that’s what the plan will be."

In truth, the Rams made a pretty large investment last August to bring Max Johnston to the club in a deal reportedly worth up to £3.5m.

While the Scotland international has endured a frustrating first season due to a hamstring injury that ruled him out of 28 matches, Johnston is now back involved with the first-team squad and expected to play a key role moving forward.

Woodward added, "I can’t see there being any point in bringing in someone that can just come in as like a gap filler, which we don’t need.

"A good pre-season under Max Johnston’s belt, he’ll be the number one and if we do need backup, then it’ll be Joe Ward. So, I think we’re fine down the right."

As for Joe Ward, well, he signed a new contract in March that will keep him at Pride Park until the summer of 2027, as he reached a certain number of games.

Derby fans all know Wards’ limitations defensively, and even though his goals and assists have dried up come the end of this season, you’d expect he’d still be a good backup option next season if that's what his role turns out to be.

James Tavernier transfer wouldn't align with Derby County's new 'model'

Even with Ward’s dip in form and Johnston’s injury troubles, Woodward believes Derby’s recruitment strategy should remain focused on younger, long-term development rather than short-term fixes.

The Fan Pundit concluded by saying, "We could probably potentially look at bringing in someone a bit younger who could be the long-term backup for Johnston when Joe Ward moves on.

"But, for me, there’s no point. Tavernier will probably demand a high wage and he’ll be wanting to play every game. I don’t think that would fit with the model Derby are going to go down now with bringing in the younger talented players.

"He’s a good player but not the kind of player we need to be looking at right now."

According to The BBC, the 34-year-old's salary is "sizeable", which may mean it's more like a Premier League wage and not a Championship one.

When looking at Capology estimates, the highest-earners at Derby County are loan duo Sam Szmodics and Ben Brereton Diaz on £25k-per-week. Given Eustace has already come out and said he'd like to keep both, whatever budget David Clowes provides will have to be managed carefully.

Clearly, Woodward thinks that introducing a high-profile veteran like Tavernier into a position where two players are already competing for minutes could be a bit unnecessary - especially when neither Johnston nor Ward are surplus to requirements.

Derby.