Aston Villa could sign Neil Warnock's old lovable whinger in Marcus Tavernier

Marcus Tavernier could be on his way to Aston Villa this summer, and he could bring some training ground fire to Bodymoor Heath.

The 27-year-old has been with Bournemouth since the summer of 2022, after leaving Middlesbrough to join the Cherries in a deal worth up to £12.5million.

Four years later, and needless to say that if they were to sell the versatile attacking midfielder, Bournemouth would be making a tidy profit.

Tavernier is a product of Middlesbrough's academy system, whilst his brother, James, has recently been released by Rangers after establishing himself as a modern-day Ibrox legend.

Perhaps one of the more underrated attackers in the Premier League, Tavernier scored seven times and provided four assists last term.

Now potentially ready to make a big-money move to Villa Park, one of his former gaffers, Neil Warnock, has previously told of the fiery character that Unai Emery would be signing.

Neil Warnock loved Marcus Tavernier despite 'moaning' claim

Having been Middlesbrough manager between June 2020 and November 2021, Warnock spent a good period of time working with Tavernier on Teesside.

The veteran manager has never been one to hold his tongue nor shy away from saying exactly what he thinks about a certain player or situation, either as a coach or in his various punditry roles.

Indeed, throughout his time as Boro boss, Warnock would commonly be heard making reference to Tavernier being partial to moaning and groaning, particularly on the training pitch.

When giving an injury update on his Middlesbrough team in February 2021, Warnock said of Tavernier: "He'll be busting a gut to get back in, and I have missed his moaning face, to be honest."

To Tavernier's credit, however, he even admitted that Warnock was probably right about his tendency to throw his arms in the air and vent his frustrations.

“I don’t see it (whingeing). I really didn’t agree with him, but then on Tuesday in training, I realised that we were playing in an eight-a-side game and maybe I had lost my head a little bit," Tavernier told Teesside Live in December 2021.

"I was shouting and screaming, and I realised that maybe he was right a bit after all. Maybe I do need to calm down a little bit.

"Maybe I’ll have to start thinking about a bit of therapy if everyone thinks I’m whingeing too much."

But Tavernier was a huge part of Warnock's Boro team during his time in charge at the Riverside, and the education he must have received working under the much-loved figure will no doubt have set him up brilliantly for his future Bournemouth success.

Should Tavernier be seen as Morgan Rogers' replacement?

With TEAMtalk claiming Aston Villa have enquired about signing Tavernier this summer, the former Middlesbrough talent could be bound for the West Midlands.

Contracted at the Vitality Stadium until the summer of 2029, Bournemouth may not be in any real rush to sell their star attacker, but the allure of Villa Park could be tough to turn down.

Morgan Rogers looks sure to leave Villa this summer, and that would leave a significant hole in Emery's attacking midfield department that must be filled.

Tavernier may not be the household, high-profile name that some Villa fans would be after, but he's shown himself to be a classy operator at Premier League level for a number of years now.

Working under Emery could see his game be taken to another level too, and he's certainly of a similar profile to Rogers when it comes to ball-carrying, dribbling and all-round creative flair.

Villa will know they need to be careful with how they continue to spend their money, and so a deal for Tavernier could well see them land a quality player and replacement for Rogers without needing to break the bank.