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Adel Taarabt almost signed for Arsenal – not Tottenham – when he moved to the Premier League at the age of 17.
It’s been a long and winding road to the top for the Moroccan ace, who is now starring for Benfica in Portugal – helping them reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League this season.
The skilful midfielder was tipped for big things when he moved to White Hart Lane in 2007, initially on loan, before a permanent deal was struck to sign him from Lens.
He showed his exceptional potential in cameos, including a stunning substitute appearance in a 4-3 win over West Ham in March 2007.
But, even after a fine loan spell with Queens Park Rangers, he couldn’t battle his way into the first-team with Spurs and he was sold to the west Londoners in 2010.
Things could have been very different for Taarabt though, and in conversation with former teammate Darren Bent in 2021 he admitted he was all set to join Arsenal before his plans changed.
He told talkSPORT: “I signed for Spurs because when I was in France, for us, we were watching the Premier League but it was the top four. Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool.
“But to me it was almost all done that I would go to Arsenal and then after Damien Comolli, who was working at [Tottenham], convinced me to come.
“At that time I was playing at France Under-17s and I could have gone to all the big three in any leagues.
“When I signed I said ‘okay, I go there because the project that he showed me, they want to believe, they are picking young players like Gareth Bale, Kyle Walker, they want to do something really good’.
“But, obviously, the first six months to adapt it difficult for me. I don’t think the club was helping me to develop and finish me as a player.”
During his time at QPR, where he became a cult hero, Taarabt also had loan spells with Fulham and AC Milan.
He’s been with Benfica since 2015 and while initially he struggled to make an impact there, he’s been a first-team regular over the last three campaigns.
The 32-year-old helped the club reach the quarter-final of the Champions League this week, as the Portuguese club dumped out Ajax from the competition.
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