Nottingham Forest should beat rival club to sign Rangers defender

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Mark Warburton should return to Ibrox to raid his old side Rangers to boost his Nottingham Forest outfit.

Mark Warburton has significantly improved a Nottingham Forest side that were within inches of relegation to League One last season, as the two-time European champions sit in a safe 13th position this time around.

His recruitment has been excellent and certainly proved a major factor in the club’s change in fortunes since he moved to the City Ground in March 2017, less than two months after being sacked by Rangers.

He has brought the likes of Kieran Dowell on loan from Everton to Forest, as well as Daryl Murphy from Newcastle and Jason Cummings from Hibernian. But his best summer signing is arguably ex-Rangers’ trickster Barrie McKay.

The 22-year-old winger has scored five goals and added seven strikes in assists during his 21 appearances, and that should convince Warburton to raid his former side once again if the opportunity arose.

That may now be the case, as the Daily Mail claim Championship rivals Sunderland are eyeing a move to sign the Gers’ goalscoring right-back James Tavernier – who was brought to Ibrox by Warburton in July 2015.

The report claims that Rangers will listen to offers for the former Newcastle United and Wigan Athletic defender, who has shone in the Scottish Premiership this season in the Light Blue strip of Rangers.

Tavernier, 26, has had a hand in eight goals from the right side of defence in the top tier of Scottish football, scoring three times and producing another five assists. His defensive tenacity and extra attacking dimension would bolster Forest’s play-off dreams.

The likes of Joe Garner, Martyn Waghorn and McKay have all shone since moving to the Championship and that could be the case for Tavernier too – with Forest in need of a full-back as Eric Lichaj enters the final stages of his contract.

Luring Tavernier to the City Ground would not only be an excellent piece of business for Warburton, in that he would be adding a quality player and replacing Lichaj, but also it would see him get one over former side Rangers.