Manchester United Eyeing Adel Taarabt

By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

English soccer giants Manchester United are reportedly considering a 12 million pound bid for Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt in the January transfer window. Just last month Taarabt was rumored to be in the crosshairs of another Premiership giant, Arsenal. And only last year he was linked to French giants Paris Saint-German. So, clearly, the footballing world has taken notice of the talented Moroccan.

Adel Taarabt began his playing career in France at Lens before moving to England’s Tottenham Hotspur in 2007. He was unable to break into the first team at Spurs under either Juande Ramos or Harry Redknapp and moved to QPR, initially on loan, in July 2009 and then permanently in August 2010 for just pounds 1 million pounds. He represented France at the youth level but opted to play for his native Morocco at the senior level. He made his international debut for Morocco in February 2009, and scored his first international goal in his first start the very next month.

He soon became a key player in the club’s promotion season when he was given the captaincy by then manager Neil Warnock. It was then that United were first linked with a move for Taarabt with Warnock claiming Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had scouted the player.

In 2010, when he was Spurs manager, Redknapp sold Taarabt to QPR, famously calling him a “fruitcake”, and the midfielder remains an erratic, if hugely talented, player But when Redknapp joined Taarabt at QPR, he was quick to praise the midfielder, “I didn’t really want to get rid of him to be honest. I was scared to let him go because I always thought he would come back to haunt me,” he told the press.

Redknapp might be tempted to sell if the right offer comes in and he is given the funds to buy. It is understood that QPR would push for closer to 15 million pounds if possible. ManU have shown interest in the 23-year-old Moroccan in the past, and considered an offer when QPR were promoted from the Championship.

But even as manager of Tottenham Redknapp was keenly aware of the talent that resided in the young lad. “‘When he came here [Tottenham] they called him the next Zidane. He isn’t in the same league as Zidane yet because he was a genius, but one day he could be up there because he’s got that ability. He’s complex but a lot of the lads with that ability can be. Di Canio was a genius but Paolo was complex. He produced on the pitch every week at West Ham… Adel has to get that consistency in his game and if he does that, he could be a top player and I’d like to see him do it because I like him as a boy.”

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