Ex-Rangers star James Tavernier branded ‘overrated’ in blast by Israeli pundit

James Tavernier did not expect his move to Israel to go unnoticed, but he may not have expected the sharpest criticism to come from a former Israeli international. Maor Kandil, who played for Hapoel Tel Aviv and now works as a TV pundit, has branded the former Rangers captain “overrated” and suggested he is nothing special

The timing adds spice. Tavernier, who moved to Israel after 11 years at Ibrox, scored his first goal for Maccabi Tel Aviv last month, and the full-back is turning 35. A goal on the board, a strong team start and a famous career behind him might have been expected to quieten the sceptics. Instead, Kandil has used the platform to argue that the hype around the signing has run well ahead of what the player has actually delivered.

This piece looks at what the pundit said, why the comments carry extra weight because of where they come from, how fair they are against the evidence so far, and what they mean for Tavernier and Maccabi.

According to the reports, Kandil presented his view as one that others in Israeli football are reluctant to voice. He framed it as an opinion people are afraid to express, and said Tavernier is overrated. His argument rests on the gap between the build-up and the reality: the club and the media made a big deal of the arrival, and he questions what the player is bringing to the team.

His wording was blunt. He said he wished he could see what makes Tavernier special, but did not, and called the signing a bad decision by Maccabi Tel Aviv. He also admitted he was not seeing enough from the full-back at present, which is a slightly softer, time-bound way of putting it, though the overall tone was unmistakably critical.

There was a comparison, too. Kandil suggested Maccabi should have signed Israel captain Eli Dasa instead. That is a pointed alternative, since Dasa is a respected local figure and a right-back with plenty of top-flight and international experience. By naming him, Kandil turned a criticism of a player into a criticism of the club’s recruitment.

The reports also highlight a financial angle. The criticism is tied to the fact that Tavernier has been described as the club’s highest-paid player. That matters because a high wage raises expectations. A modest signing who underwhelms is a disappointment. A top earner who underwhelms is a story.

A critical comment from a fan or a stranger on social media can be dismissed. A critical comment from a former international who now analyses the league on television carries more weight, and it is worth understanding the context.He knows the leleague. Kandil has played in the Israeli top flight and watches it closely. His judgment is based on how Tavernier compares with the standard and style he sees every week, not on a reputation built elsewhere.

He has a rival allegiance. Kandil played for Hapoel Tel Aviv, who are rivals of Maccabi Tel Aviv. That does not make him wrong, but it is a fact worth holding in mind. Pundits with club histories sometimes find it easier to criticise a rival’s signings, and supporters of the club in question will be quick to point it out.

He is working in a media environment that rewards strong takes.  Television punditry thrives on opinions that cut through. Saying a big-name signing is overrated, and that “people are afraid” to say so, is a classic way to generate attention. That does not mean he does not believe it, but it shapes how the comment is delivered.

He is speaking about the present, not the career. Kandil was not claiming Tavernier’s record in Scotland is hollow. His focus is on what he is seeing in Israel now. That is a narrower and more defensible claim than a blanket dismissa

It is fair to ask whether the on-pitch picture supports the criticism, and the early signs are mixed rather than damning.

Maccabi have started the season strongly. The Jerusalem Post reported in mid-September that the club had won all four of its opening league games, including a 4-1 derby victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv. The same piece described Tavernier as having looked good since his arrival, and highlighted the leadership he and fellow newcomer Gaby Kanichowsky bring to the squad.

His debut was also a success. He was pitched straight into the team and made a winning start, as Maccabi took three league wins from three. At that stage, the signing looked like a clear positive.

A strong team record does not prove an individual is excellent. Full-backs can be carried by good sides, and teams can win in spite of a player, not because of him. But it does complicate the claim that the signing has been a mistake. If the club is winning, scoring freely and looking organised, the burden on the critic is to show where the player is hurting the team, not simply that he is not a star

To judge the “overrated” claim properly, it helps to separate what is established from what is opinion.The record is substantial. Tavernier made 565 appearances for Rangers across all competitions, scoring 144 goals and providing 148 assists. He became the highest-scoring defender in British professional football history in March 2024, and moved into fifth place on the world’s all-time list in January 2026. Those numbers are the foundation of his reputation, and they are real.

The criticism is not new. In Scotland, Tavernier was regularly attacked for his defensive work and his record in the biggest matches. A former manager acknowledged as much, saying it was difficult for full-backs to be a brilliant attacker and also perfect defensively. Kandil is, in effect, repeating a familiar charge in a new setting.

Age is a factor At 34 and now turning 35, a full-back has less margin for error. Pace, recovery speed and repeated sprinting are the first things to go, and a league that is fast and transitional can expose them. Whether Tavernier’s physical decline is a problem in Israel is exactly the question observers will be asking.The sample is small. He has played only a handful of games for the club. That is too few to draw firm conclusions about his level, in either direction.

In short, the facts support the view that he was a prolific attacking full-back, and the criticism of his all-round game is not out of nowhere. But they do not settle whether he is falling short now

Kandil’s suggestion that Maccabi should have signed Eli Dasa deserves a closer look, because it is the most concrete part of his argument.

Dasa is the Israel captain, a right-back with a long career in the national team and top-level experience. He knows the league, the culture and the demands of the role. In terms of local credibility, he offers things Tavernier cannot: an established understanding of Israeli football and a status as a homegrown leader.

There are, however, good reasons a club might choose Tavernier. A foreign signing with a profile, a record of goals and assists, and experience of leading a big club brings commercial appeal and a different kind of influence. He is also a free agent, which removes a transfer fee. And the head coach, Kenny Miller, is his former Rangers teammate, which gives the relationship a head start in terms of trust and communication.

Dasa may well be a good player, and the comparison is not unreasonable. But “he would have been better” is a hypothetical that cannot be tested, and it always flatters the player who was not signed. Players who are not at the club cannot underperform

One reason the “overrated” tag sticks is the money. A player described as the highest earner will always be scrutinised more heavily than his teammates.

This is a feature of football across the world. High wages create a standard that the player has to meet, fairly or not. If he performs brilliantly, the wage looks justified. If he performs only adequately, the gap between pay and output becomes the story.

For Tavernier, that means ordinary performances may be treated as disappointments. A solid, unspectacular display from an average full-back is unremarkable. The same display from the best-paid player in the squad is cause for debate. It is a burden that comes with the contract, and it is one he will have to live with

There is no suggestion that Tavernier has responded publicly to Kandil, and he may well not. But his history is telling. When he was targeted by a prominent pundit in Scotland, he dismissed it. He said pundits’ comments are irrelevant and that he was there to do a job and win trophies.

That consistent attitude is part of what has allowed him to stay at the top for so long. Players who are easily rattled by criticism rarely last 11 seasons at a club as demanding as Rangers. Tavernier has had to deal with abuse, doubt and intense scrutiny, and has generally responded by putting his head down and playing.

At the start of his Maccabi career, he spoke positively about the move. He said he had always wanted to experience a new country and culture, and that he was drawn by the club’s ambition and the atmosphere created by its supporters. That suggests a player who came with a clear sense of purpose, not one looking for an easy final contract.

It is also worth acknowledging that Tavernier’s move to Israel has attracted attention for reasons beyond football. Some commentators have raised broader concerns about the club and the environment in which he now plays, and the move has been discussed in political as well as sporting terms. That context shapes how some people read any story involving him, and it is part of why his every performance is likely to be examined closely.

For the purposes of this piece, the focus is on the sporting claim: whether the “overrated” verdict is fair on football grounds. But it would be naive to pretend that the surrounding noise has no effect on how his time in Israel is perceived.

Ultimately, the argument will be settled by what happens on the pitch. Several things will matter.

Defensive solidity If Maccabi are conceding few goals and Tavernier is not being regularly exposed, the main line of criticism will lose force. If opposition wingers start to find space behind him, it will gain it.End product. Goals and assists are what built his reputation. If he keeps producing them, particularly in big matches, it will be hard to argue he is not adding value.Physical condition. Whether he can maintain his fitness across a long season in a hot climate with a demanding schedule is a real question.

Big games.Derbies and matches against the other top clubs are where reputations are tested. A strong showing in those would be the best possible rebuttal.Team success. If Maccabi go on to win trophies, Tavernier will be seen as part of that story, and the “overrated” line will fade. If they falter, he will be an easy target.

On the evidence, the answ is not simple. His career numbers are exceptional for a full-back, and the early results at Maccabi have been strong. A pundit who dismisses him as nothing special is ignoring a long and well-documented record of productivity.

At the same time, Kandil’s central point is not absurd. Hype and expectation can run ahead of reality, particularly for a veteran moving to a new league on a big wage. Tavernier’s defensive limitations have been noted for years, and a player in his mid-thirties will always face questions about how much he has left. If he is not delivering at the level the build-up promised, it is fair to say so.

The honest position is that it is too early to judge, and that both the glowing and the scathing takes say as much about expectations as they do about the player. A few weeks and a handful of games cannot settle an argument about a career that spans more than a decade.

What can be said with confidence is that Tavernier has been here before. He has faced doubters at every stage, and his habit has been to answer them with performances. If he does so again in Tel Aviv, Kandil’s comments will become a footnote. If he does not, they will be remembered as an early warning. Either way, the debate has given Israeli football something to talk about, and given Tavernier one more reason to prove a critic wrong