The final week of the August transfer window gave new QPR owner Tony Fernandes plenty chance to splash the cash and he didn’t fail to disappoint. There’s no doubt Neil Warnock’s side have strengthened substantially over the last couple of weeks and last season’s Championship winners will approach an upcoming kind run of games with renewed confidence.
Despite the acquisition of Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips, it’s Adel Taarabt who blinks loudest on our Fantasy radars and as a result, the Moroccan ranks high on the Watchlist. He may have returned just 9 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points so far this season, but Taarabt has been a threat throughout and is a little unlucky not to have picked up more substantial hauls. He’s had more goal attempts than any QPR player- his tally is just one shot less than David Silva- and has also hit the woodwork as well as creating the same number of goal scoring opportunities as the likes of Charlie Adam.
The clincher here is his set-piece duties; Barton’s arrival will give Warnock’s side a quality corner kick taker but Taarabt -priced at 6.5 in FPL- still looks nailed-on for direct free-kicks and penalties and looks likely to offer a greater attacking potential than any of his team mates.
QPR may have scored just one goal so far this campaign but the increase in quality arrivals should make them a different proposition altogether. If Warnock’s new-look side are to beat the drop, they will need to replicate the sort of form that saw them make Loftus Road something of a fortress last season. With four home games in the next six-(NEW, wol, AVL, ful, BLA, CHE)- Fernandes will be hoping his August investment is about to prove dividend.
