Mercurial QPR playmaker Adel Taarabt has talked up his chances of a move this summer to the likes of Manchester United, and while his dazzling displays have delighted fans of the Championship, is he good enough to truly cut it in the top flight?
It’s fair to say that Taarabt was given a bum deal by former club Tottenham. He was a victim of the club’s chopping and changing of their management over a 3 year period and subsequently his development was stunted and his route into the first-team blocked. He always looked lively when called upon and although it would be harsh to call it a failed audition, it’s clear that he feels he has unfinished business with the Premier League.
The Moroccan has been a pivotal figure in QPR’s ascent to the top of the Championship so far this term and it’s entirely likely that he’ll be plying his trade in the Premier League next season with QPR anyway.
Current manager Neil Warnock has consistently waxed lyrical about Taarabt’s talents throughout the campaign, although he has treaded a fine line, going on record several times discussing the player’s deficiencies.
Taarabt has considerable talent, and on ability alone, he probably is good enough to grace the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, it’s in his consistency that the 21 year-old can look to improve upon. He has the ability to win a game on his own in the Championship, and he can even have an off day at the office and still set up a couple of goals – the gulf in class truly is that large.
The quotes attributed to Taarabt are: “Nothing is official yet. I had discussions about my transfer after my performance against Coventry. I’m ready to go to Manchester United. We’ll see later in the season, as I’m hoping to reach the promotion target with my current club QPR. I like England, So I am not against the idea of continuing my career at United.”
What is pleasing about these comments though, is that Taarabt at least concedes that his immediate future lies with QPR. Neil Warnock has been crucial to his development over the last 12 months or so – without his faith and the fact that Warnock has accommodated a formation and style of play to get the best of Taarabt, the playmaker wouldn’t be being linked with the likes of Manchester United now.
The proposed move does have to be taken with a pinch of salt though, for Taarabt is the one doing all the talking and we’ve heard little from Man Utd’s side. There is also the issue over where he would fit in into the current Man Utd set-up. Taarabt is given a free role at QPR and a platform to perform – he wouldn’t get such luxuries at Old Trafford.
The only doubts to be cast against Taarabt at present are not with concerns to his footballing ability, just that his discipline and temperament can at times be called into question. He displays an arrogance and immaturity that will only hold him back over time. It’s worth remembering that he’s still only 21 years of age, and of course, this will only get better with time as he matures on and off the pitch.
The best thing for his future development at the moment would be to stay put at Loftus Road. There is nothing more important to a player at this pivotal stage in his career than playing regularly, week in week out. If he continues to improve on the few deficiencies that are currently present in his game, then the sky really could be the limit with him. His confidence is, at the moment, his biggest asset.
His willingness to try something different on the pitch is what sets him apart from the rest of the league. But should he let his arrogance, as some would perceive it, get in the way of his development, then he could move to a bigger club too soon, which for me, would be tantamount to career suicide at the minute. With over-confidence can come a degree of complacency and he has to stamp out any threat that this could have on his focus.
He’s got plenty of time to move to the likes of Utd or even Barcelona, a club Warnock concedes on ability alone that he is good enough to play for, in the future – for the time being QPR has been good for him, and a show of faith similar to that which Warnock placed in him would go a long way for the foreseeable future.
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