Wantaway Taarabt may be forced to stay at QPR Posted by Sean Smith Recommend1 Tweet3 Email Ian Walton/Getty ImagesIf Adel Taarabt, left, stays at QPR, he won't be seeing the likes of Manchester United in league play next season. Forget about Gareth Bale, or 'man-biter' Luis Suarez -- or even that little Brazilian joining Barcelona next season who looks like he has stepped out of One Dimension, but probably isn't as good as Lionel Messi -- the most divisive transfer of the summer will be Adel Taarabt. The mercurial/maverick Moroccan was at the centre of QPR's successful promotion to the Premier League two seasons ago, and it must be tempting to think that his skill, along with the advance in talent at the club, will be enough to ensure an immediate return to the top flight. So far, Anzhi Makhachkala -- from whence Chris Samba came -- has been rumoured to want to take Taarabt, and they would be happy to pay 15 million pounds. Also, UAE moneybags Al Ain are interested, and the player himself is talking up an exit, so a move is quite possible. It makes the £15m price tag that the club have put on the Moroccan very interesting. Harry Redknapp has already suggested that he would like to keep Taarabt -- and other players who are looking at a quicker return to the Premier League than promotion will bring -- and he may have made that easier for himself when he sold QPR the player as Spurs boss. Back then, he said, he had a feeling that Taarabt might amount to something ("go on" I believe is how he described it), and so he insisted that there was a sizeable sell-on clause attached to the £1m deal. It means that Spurs are entitled to 40 percent of what QPR make from the sale of the player. It puts a completely new perspective on any transfer deal. Fifteen million pounds means just an £8m profit on the player, which will stick in the craw somewhat. Is it worth QPR's owners selling a player who once held the key to unlock The Championship when a significant amount of the money from any transfer will be going elsewhere -- particularly when it would appear they do not seem to need the money? Taarabt's wages are not astronomical, so it is not a necessity to get him out of The Championship wage bill. But there are those who believe Taarabt's days at QPR are numbered and it would be better to sell him before everyone realises that he is not the magician that everyone believes he is. He's just a naughty little boy who is yet to work out how to play football. Sure, he has the skills. And he is incredibly exciting to watch when he has the ball at his feet. But his flaws are huge, and don't look like being fixed any time soon. His inability to pick a pass continues, but what is most concerning is that Taarabt seems to have lost his greediness and replaced it with passing poorly, and too early. It makes him a ghost of a player, but it also confirms that most of us were thinking: he is just not a team player, and he is not good enough to win games on his own at the top level. The Championship . . . well, that may be more his playground. And if wants to improve as a player one last trip to the lower levels may be just what he needs to fix his game. I would imagine his advisers will only have money signs in their eyes, and that may ultimately dictate where Taarabt plays his football next season.
For £15m (£8m profit) I'd definitely sell & put to strengthening the squad, for all his skill he is very divisive & likely to upset the squad.
As much as I dislike the player for being a self centred twat, he does have talent and can be ( if the attitude is right for which there is no guarantee ) a dam good player if Harry reckons he's fair dinkum value for us. Personally, I could'nt give a rat's ar-se, a flying fcuk, or two sh_its whether he stays or goes .................... whatever is going to help the team, nothing more. Footnote - Just wanted to acknowledge a well written article by the author.
Queens couldn't have written a better article... The money is far too good to turn down, if true, but he is a much more rounded player (girth comments aside) so I wouldn't be looking to flog him on the cheep.
What a cobblers article, can't even get 40% of £15m right. We would get £9m not £8m That said a £9m cheque might even convince me he's worth selling
I agree mostly. I commented a few weeks ago that Taarabt had improved defensively (apart from "The Wall" incident against Wigan), but has also lost the ability and/or confidence with running at players. He used to win a lot of penaltys and frighten the **** out of defenders. Now they sit off him which leaves him to pass early or shoot, neither with much effect. Didn't he have the highest shot to no-goal ratio last season? Still worth keeping in my opinion. One more season, let him cause havoc in the championship providing its not at the expense of team morale.
Another Adel thread? Will he? Won't he? Can he? Can't he? Did he? Didn't he? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hardly. After paying wages bonuses agents fees interest and bus fares down the Fulham park rd a 'profit' will be bloody slim indeed. That's what bloody well irks me with sloppy journalism We will receive £9m if the above hocus-locus is even vaguely true. That does not suddenly begat £8m profit! Christ on a bike. Stop equating sales values to profit The real question is - what would £9m buy us in terms of creative adel replacements ? At that level you would have to say its on the cusp of doing but I fear we will not learn the lessons of the Sir Les sale and will waste it I've now had a second expresso so I say 'no deal' - keep El Sulk
I think Totally was just explaining the £8 million in the article, not necessarily endorsing it. I agree with everything you say though Wubba, but would add that Taarabt owes us nothing financially; I severely doubt that we would have got promoted without him, it is certainly not his fault we ****ed it up. I'd do everything I could to persuade him to stay, but if he really wants to go then he should be allowed to with our gratitude. For what it's worth, I believe the 40% to Spurs is on the "profit" not the whole transfer fee. It doesn't changes the sums much though!
No No boys...Yorkie told me it was only me that thought like this...only the other day!! ......oh dear !
Hey Queens! Stop taking every Trabant thread as an affront to your soccer integrity. Anymore of it, and I'm going to head on down to Queensland old town and sneak up on you and give you my special 'Chinese Burn!'
Hey Queens, I took the wife and my two daughters to Florida. They all had their birthdays whilst there and had a great time. Weather is a bit crap down there though. It thunders and lightnings everyday. We went to one of the water parks ( Aquatica ) Paid $200 plus $12 parking. We got in the wave pool and within twenty minutes we were ordered to get out as a lightning storm was within five miles of the park. We stood in a locker room for an hour with a thousand other losers.( the only safe shelter in the vicinity? ) I thought to myself '' **** this. '' There was clear blue skies above us. No sign of a thunderstorm anywhere. I climbed one of the rides and slid down the chute. I was greeted at the bottom by at least twenty 'Aquatica' health and safety 'Water rescue' workers... ( Little Hitlers ) who handed me over to the local 'Sheriff's Dept.' who warned me about not following the rules. After a comprehensive dressing down, I was allowed to reunite with my family and asked to leave the park. No re-imbursement of my fee, and if I argued or questioned their authority I could expect some gaol time. The US is one ****ed up country.
Hey buddy, there's no need to go busting my chops on this. There was no one more disappointed than me as the Brazil Soccer Club completed the equalisation powershot into the soccergoal to complete the tie at two twos at the completion whistle. I thought the line judge should of raised the goal denial flag at Brasils first soccer score, especially as we were parading our new red soccer uniform shirts. You need to take a break wise guy.
