It took the bright lights of Times Square for Adel Taarabt to realise he had to leave Tottenham last summer. And now he wants to show Harry Redknapp and Co exactly what they are missing when he plays against his old club next season.
Taarabt moved across London to QPR after finally losing patience with his lack of first-team action at White Hart Lane. And it has proved an inspired decision by the Morocco midfielder after a string of sensational displays helped Rangers end their 15-year exile from the top flight. His performances have earned rave reviews and helped him win Championship player of the year.
'I have nothing against Harry Redknapp,' insisted the 21-year-old. 'The last time I saw him he joked with me, "I sold you for £1million and now you must be worth £8-9m. The chairman will kill me!" But I hope I can prove to Spurs they made a mistake to sell me.'
High flyer: Adel Taarabt (right) celebrates promotion with team-mate Alejandro Faurlin
And it was the glitz and glamour of the Big Apple that helped persuade Taarabt he had to leave Tottenham to become a star. He added: 'I don't have any regrets about leaving them. I was in New York when I decided it was time to go so I called Harry and told him, "I want to leave".
'He told me to wait until after pre-season and then see how I felt. But I knew there was no point in this. I knew that he would never play me while they were paying £25m for new players.
'I didn't want to be like (Giovani) dos Santos. I knew it was time to leave for the sake of my career. Look at Kevin-Prince Boateng. He was also at Spurs with me, but he left and now he is playing for AC Milan.'
Taarabt is adamant he can replicate his scintillating displays at the top level next season. Whether that will be at Loftus Road remains to be seen after refusing to guarantee he would be at the club for the start of the next campaign.
But QPR have more immediate issues to address. The west London club could yet be stripped of automatic promotion and the Championship title if found guilty of breaking FA rules over the £3.5m signing of midfielder Alejandro Faurlin in 2009.
QPR have been accused of seven breaches of third-party ownership and agents laws. The hearing begins on Tuesday, where a four-man panel will decide the club's fate. Faurlin has, to his credit, maintained focus in recent weeks to play a lead role in the promotion push.
But Taarabt admitted: 'The first few days, Ali was a little bit worried because he thought the lads would blame him - but we told him it is not his fault. He has been brilliant all season and you can't deny that. He deserves to be in the Premier League as well. If promotion is to be taken away from us by the FA, it would destroy me and it would destroy my team-mates. We have not cheated. We have played every match with 11 versus 11 players on the pitch.
'We never did anything wrong. If there are problems with things upstairs then surely that is to do with them, not the team.
Fall guy: Taarabt's Spurs career never really took off before a £1m move to Loftus Road
'It would be a disaster for every player. But what can we do? We have won the Championship. And even if the FA take that away, I will still tell people I am a champion.'
QPR defender Clint Hill will undergo surgery this week to clear up a long standing ankle injury.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1382862/Adel-Taarabt-Ill-prove-Spurs-wrong-let-go.html#ixzz1LIiQZhgB
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