Scout Report – Adel Taarabt

When Neil Warnock began to build his QPR side around Adel Taarabat, the cock-sure Yorkshireman was taking a risk on the impetuous talents of a player who had been cast aside by Harry Redknapp – rarely a bad judge.

By Christmas the performances of Taarabt had illuminated the Championship, carried QPR to the summit and left Redknapp wondering if he’d be sacked by his employers for allowing such a player to leave the Lane.

Following such an outstanding six months, Taarabt was crowned the Football League’s Player of the Year in March. Whilst Warnock was pipped to the managerial accolade by Norwich’s Paul Lambert, his role in converting Taarabt from an inconsistent show-pony to a disciplined and devastating force, arguably deserved greater recognition.

QPR’s manager will now likely spend the summer using his powers of persuasion to keep Taarabt at Loftus Road. If he succeeds, Warnock must then sketch a blueprint that will again harness the Moroccan’s abilities. Pull that off and Taarabt has the potential to keep QPR afloat and provide us Fantasy Managers with returns that would threaten to overshadow this season’s contribution from Blackpool’s Charlie Adam.

The Statistics

With 19 goals and 16 assists in 43 starts for Rangers, Taarabt arrives in the Premier League with a Championship CV that surpasses any promoted player over the last few seasons. The aforementioned Adam came up last season with 17 goals and 11 assists to his name; he went on to provide superb value, particularly in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game where his frequent haul of Bonus Points helped him end the season second in the midfielder scoring rankings.

Taarabt has the same degree of influence for QPR; there’s a similar dominance at set-pieces and, should QPR earn positive results, Bonus Points will surely come the Moroccan’s way. And yet, we’ve seen potential from such statistics fall flat in the past. Birmingham came up with Gary McSheffrey having contributed 13 goals and 18 assists in their promotion in 2006/07, only to bitterly disappoint on the Premier League stage.

A tally of 7 goals and 5 assists in 32 Championship starts whilst on loan at Rangers in 2009/10 offers a more sobering view of Taarabt’s productivity. However, this was during Jim Magilton’s tenure at Loftus Road – indication perhaps that Warnock’s ability to foster Taarabt’s skills in his formation will remain crucial to his Fantasy returns.

Before his arrival at QPR for two loan spells, Taarabt’s potential can only really be measured anecdotally. When Martin Jol captured the 17-year-old from Lens to bring him to Spurs in 2007 he proclaimed Taarabt as a “wizard” stating..

“On the ball I don’t think there’s another talent like him in England”

He arrived at White Hart Lane having drawn comparison to none other than Zinedine Zidane, albeit from his own agent – Rudy Raba…

“In France he is considered the new Zidane… He is exceptional, he is one of the most talented young players in France, perhaps the most talented.”

By the start of the 2008/09 season however, Juande Ramos’ arrival at White Hart Lane saw Taarabt ignored. When Harry Redknapp took over the reins, the Morrocan was at least brought in from the cold and handed back his squad number, but he was later allowed to leave for a first loan spell at Loftus Road in 2009.

Having once demand £4.5 million for his services, Redknapp eventually allowed Taarabt to leave on a permanent deal for a fee reported to be just £1 million. Taarabt’s progress from that point has justified at least some of the hype lavished upon him; it has certainly made a mockery of Redknapp’s evaluation.

The Prospects

Harry is very rarely so wrong on a player however and Fantasy managers will approach Taarabt with a degree of caution given the jump in class ahead of him.

Premier League managers will be wary of the devastation he can cause but at the same time aware that, when tested, Taarabt’s temperament could be a flaw.

Defenders will welcome him with biting tackles, midfield enforcers won’t allow him space to unravel his repertoire of flicks and showboating antics. The stance taken up by the top level referee’s will also be crucial – react badly early on to some of the inevitable treatment coming his way and sympathy for Taarabt’s frequent flailing falls to the deck could be ignored or worse still, met with cards.

These reservations could all be academic should Taarabt seek a move – that’s still a very real prospect. When asked whether he would stay at Loftus Road following promotion, Taarabt offered little reassurance to Rangers faithful…

“I don’t know, I did everything for the club this year. The manager told me ‘It is up to you, if you want to go I won’t stop you because you did everything for me, but I would be very happy if you stay for me’. So he gave me a choice. So I have the summer to think about it.”

Should Taarabt find his way to a bigger club, his Fantasy potential would likely take a significant dent. The Moroccan conducts matters at QPR; manufacture a move and he’s likely to end up as a flamboyant soloist drowned out by a vast orchestra of talent.

Taarabt and his agent will wait on interest from Spain or the Premier League’s elite then; us Fantasy managers also need to bide our time. QPR’s magician is a hugely tempting prospect should he remain under Warnock’s wing and, if his manager can again build a system around him to protect and allow his talents to come to the fore, then the rewards look rich indeed.

The FPL will be toying with his pricing – considering the impact of Charlie Adam and attempting to anticipate whether Taarabt can match or even better his showing. A similar initial value of just 5.0 seems inconceivable – something around 6.5 would seem more likely. Even with such a valuation and with his abilities unproven in the top-flight, Taarabt would remain a “most-wanted” target.

While the transfer circus has yet to escalate, with the City chequebook still to be unfurled, Taarabt’s arrival in the Premier League is already providing ample excitement. Big things are expected – and with a price tag that should make him instantly available as an asset, Fantasy managers are amongst those eagerly anticipating his appearance at the top level.

Further Reference

Adel Taarabt Wikipedia
Taarabt’s solo goal vs Preston 2009
Taarabt’s showboating skills
Skills and goals compilation 2010/11