Clement’s Tavernier problem is now acute and the clock is ticking.

Tonight, Football Scotland is reporting that James Tavernier is unhappy at Ibrox. He believes there is a toxic atmosphere against him at the club and that he desperately wishes to leave. This will not come as a surprise to anyone who follows these affairs closely.

It has been obvious for some time that Tavernier finds himself a lonely and isolated figure at Ibrox. This has been the case for many weeks, if not months, and the person most directly responsible for that is Philippe Clement, his own manager.

It is a known fact that the club tried to sell Tavernier several times over the summer transfer window. They also told Jack Butland he was going to be captain and even leaked that information to the media. However, they had to backtrack, likely because Tavernier and whatever dressing room constituency he has rallied against that decision and had it overturned. But this hasn’t changed the fact that the club made a promise to Butland in the first place, leaving Tavernier feeling betrayed.

Tavernier is entirely correct to feel this way. He is fully entitled to believe that it was a shocking way to treat him. The captaincy is sacred, and players who receive it at a major club feel immensely proud. They wear it for the rest of their lives as a badge of honour. There are ways of taking the captaincy from one player and giving it to another, but that is a complex and delicate process that should only be undertaken in moments of absolute necessity. It is abundantly clear that they botched it as badly as they could have.

The club’s problem now is trying to move Tavernier on in a very short period.

One of their remaining hopes is that a team in Turkey will step forward, make an offer, and take him off their hands. The Turkish transfer window closes on 18 September. After that, the only move left to him would be to one of the oil state leagues. This is hugely complicated, because whilst the wages there may be in excess of anything another club could afford or would be willing to pay there are lifestyle issues, which are not easily resolved when players have families who do not want to uproot.

A move to Turkey might be possible if the club is willing to be realistic about the transfer fee. They would have to be very realistic—practically giving this guy away. The reports that they want a multi-million-pound fee make that highly unlikely. No club is going to pay such a sum for a 32-year-old right back who cannot defend, is effectively being drummed out of his current club, and is unwanted by both his manager and the fans.

One reason Celtic has commanded large fees for top players in recent years is because they are genuinely top players. These are players who feature in the first team every week, whose value has risen, and who clubs believe are worth the investment.

It is a different story entirely when trying to offload a player you no longer want or rate. If you’re a key player at Celtic Park, you will obviously command a much higher transfer fee than someone Ibrox is eager to push out the door.

No matter how you dress it up, this Ibrox Hall of Fame footballer is not wanted there. Tavernier knows he isn’t appreciated, and the need to move him on is acute. But time is running out, and everyone involved will have to be very realistic in their approach over the next two days if the move to Turkey is what they decide upon. A move there would certainly be easier to sell to his young family than one to the UAE.

The club itself has no obvious replacement for him, and talk of players like Cyrus Christie is laughable for how poorly thought out it is.

Anyone they sign would be ineligible to play in Europe and would only be available for games in the Scottish League. They would need to come into the side right away and hit the ground running. There is no football player available on a free transfer after so many months who is anywhere near match fit or capable of doing that. The whole Tavernier situation seems bizarre, reckless, and self-destructive, benefiting no one.

On the flip side, it is virtually impossible to imagine any scenario where relationships at the club can be rebuilt to the extent that Tavernier can stay and play the role he has in recent years. This could be crucial because, for all the criticism of their remarkable ability to win penalties, and for all the talk of Tavernier being a one-trick pony who scores from the spot, he actually contributes much more to their side. He has produced in big moments and important games for them, which is rare over there.

His dead-ball ability is generally excellent. His ability to cross a ball or play a long-range pass up the pitch is very good, if not exceptional, and he has the assists to prove he knows what he’s doing. They have already lost a talent on the left side, who, while always entertaining when pacy players went up against him, could also do damage with a cross if he got up the pitch. No current player at Ibrox is capable of doing the same to that extent.

Their strategy is high-risk, whether they get him off the books or not. Tavernier is unhappy and wants to be elsewhere, and if he stays, it will only be with the utmost reluctance. His relationship with the fans and the manager will certainly not improve. If he goes, they have no way of replacing him until at least January, and given the current weaknesses in their squad, I can’t see how they can afford to do without a player of his experience until then.

It’s clear that there is no happy ending here, whether he stays or goes. I’m sure there is someone at the club, namely the manager, who is fairly satisfied with the situation. He has made his point, and Tavernier knows where he stands.

But I’m not sure it’s done anyone any favours, nor is it an effective strategy for securing the support of the dressing room or creating the kind of harmony a club needs to succeed. This affair will leave a deep and lasting wound, and the amazing thing about it is that it is entirely self-inflicted.

This article initially said the transfer window in Turkey closes on 12 September; in fact, it’s 18 September. Not that it matters! The deal isn’t going to happen.