Mark Warburton has claimed that top English clubs have been ‘keeping tabs on Tav’ for more than three years. Strangely a bid of £1.5m from West Brom is the only offer that has arrived at Ibrox.
In 2015 Warbo splashed out £250,000 to Wigan Athletic to sign the utility man who played a key role in the storming run to promotion accompanied by an impressive Petrofac Cup triumph over Peterhead at Hampden.
Former City trader Warburton failed to last a full season in the top flight but his legacy at the club lives on with Tav wearing the armband of dignity and slotting away penalty kicks on a regular basis.
This season the 27-year-old has been the fall guy for the 2-1 defeat away to Young Boys of Berne and again on Sunday when he was at fault for the goal lost to Hearts.
After a day of criticism, the media tone has been switched with Warbo, now in charge of Queens Park Rangers claiming that his star signing is in big demand down south.
Opening up to the Daily Record the QPR boss explained:
I know for a fact there is a lot of interest in him down here. I hear people talk and I’ve had a lot of phone-calls from managers at other clubs who are asking me about him. I always give them my honest opinion but this is not a new thing. It’s been going on for a long time now.
I remember we were playing a game and we knew a top Premier League club was coming to watch him. After the game I was chatting with David Weir and we agreed that Tav hadn’t had the best of games in terms of one-v-one defending.
Then the guy from the club who was watching him came up to us and said, “He was magnificent!’ What he saw was an athlete going forward, whipping balls into the box and causing all kinds of trouble for the opponent.
So, a lot of Premier League clubs have been watching him because they know how good he is. He’s a very talented boy. Yes, everyone has areas that can be improved but Tav is an outstanding asset and a top class professional. He deserves nothing but respect.”
After being sacked by Nottingham Forest after less than a year in charge Warbo has returned to London where he is currently in charge of QPR.
The EPL clubs will be able to watch Tav in action away to Porto on Thursday night in Europa League action.