Fulham boss Martin Jol bolstered his attacking options earlier this week by acquiring Adel Taarabt from QPR on a season-long loan deal. The Moroccan is the Cottagers sixth signing of the summer, following the arrival of Sascha Riether, Fernando Amorebieta, Maarten Stekelenburg, Derek Boateng and Ange-Freddy Plumain, and sees the pair reunited, with Jol having previously snapped up the winger during his tenure as Tottenham boss.
Having dropped into the Championship with the R’s just three months beforehand, the 24-year-old felt the lure of top-flight football was just too good to ignore and admitted the prospect of teaming up with a certain Bulgarian holds plenty appeal:
“This was a difficult decision for me, but at this stage of my career I feel I need to be playing at the top level. I hope the fans understand my decision and I really hope to return to Loftus Road one day. I wish QPR well for the season and hope they achieve promotion back to where I believe the club belongs…I’m a big fan of Dimitar Berbatov. When I arrived at Tottenham he was already a star and I was just a young kid. Every time I saw him pay at the games he was unbelievable. Now that I have the chance to play with him hopefully we can understand each other, play good together and score some goals.”
The History
A product of the Lens youth academy, Taarabt made just one first-team appearance for the French club back in 2006/07 before signing on loan for Tottenham in January 2007. The Moroccan then penned a permanent deal the following season but featured just nine times for the north London outfit before making his way to Loftus Road on loan in March 2009. Having scored once in seven matches, he returned to White Hart Lane after picking up a knee injury but was farmed out to QPR once again in 2009/10, producing seven goals and 11 assist over 41 Championship matches.
The Moroccan then moved to Loftus Road permanently and proved instrumental in steering the club into the Premier League, with 19 goals and 23 assists in 44 appearances under the guidance of Neil Warnock. As Fantasy managers know all too well, Taarabt’s time in the top-flight hasn’t been quite as successful; two goals and five assists from 27 appearances in 2011/12 was followed by five goals and five assists last time out as the R’s dropped back into the Championship. Taarabt has also turned out for his country on 12 occasions, producing three goals and an assist.
The Prospects
Despite a twelfth place finish last time out, the Cottagers were far too reliant on Berbatov’s output. The Bulgarian found the net on 15 occasions – three times more than any other Fulham player, with Bryan Ruiz and Mladen Petric chipping in with five apiece. In terms of contribution from midfield, the departure of Clint Dempsey the previous summer has had a major effect – Steve Sidwell and Alex Kacaniklic managed four apiece, while Damien Duff notched just three times over 31 appearances. Having signed Taarabt for a second time now, Jol clearly is a big fan of the Moroccan:
“I have known him now for a long time. When I was at Hamburg, I wanted him but thought the money Daniel Levy asked for was too much. Then I went to Ajax and I thought it was too much for a player that never played. Then I was too late after that because he went to QPR, where he did ever so well. Remember the fact he was an over £10million player 12 months ago, so I think you have to take them when they are bad and hopefully he will show his potential here….I like his creativity and, of course, sometimes it comes off when he scores a lot of goals. It is like Dimitar Berbatov – sometimes these fantastic talents will be blamed but I hope to find a way to gel him in together with the boys we’ve got. I think he can do a hell of a job for us because he is a tremendous player on the ball.”
Given his manager’s show of faith, Taarabt looks likely to be afforded plenty of starts at Craven Cottage this term. Bearing in mind Berbatov is hardly known for his work-rate and Ruiz isn’t exactly the most energetic, the new boy’s somewhat lax attitude has already led to a warning from Sidwell – the fear is that Jol’s team could well be overrun if their creators don’t pull their weight.
Experienced Fantasy managers will be somewhat wary of Taarabt’s arrival at the Cottage. Members of the site will know too well that his attacking statistics were amongst the best around in recent times yet Taarabt flattered to deceive on far too many occasions, with his penchant for a long shot rarely producing. Listed at 6.2 in the Sky Sports game and 2.5 in The Sun Dream Team, a ceiling of 6.0 is expected in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) but with Berbatov kindly priced at 7.5, it’s difficult to look past the Bulgarian as the best route into Jol’s side right now. If Fulham add to their forward ranks this may alter our assessment, though – a possible move for Darren Bent would likely force Berbatov deeper and Ruiz onto the right, with Taarabt taking up his position on the opposite wing.
Looking at the fixtures, Jol’s side look set to profit from a particularly kind schedule between Gameweek 4-8, with West Brom, Cardiff and Stoke paying visit, in addition to a trip to Palace. By then, the transfer window will have closed, allowing Fantasy managers the chance to analyse the impact any new additions may have on Berbatov before even contemplating the idea of Taarabt.
