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Queens Park Rangers captain Joey Barton has pleaded with bosses at Sky Sports to stop picking his team for Sunday matches to help him stop watching X Factor.

The 29-year-old has become addicted to the talent show and he believes the programme is starting to ruin his hardman reputation.

QPR have now played three of their last four weekend fixtures on a Sunday or Monday, meaning the players have had to resist venturing out on a Saturday night.

Barton was helpless to stop his side succumb to a humiliating 6-0 derby defeat to Fulham yesterday, so maybe the show is starting to affect his performances as well.

The Englishman is now discussing his likes and dislikes of the singing competition with his army of followers on Twitter, leading to some to question whether he is going soft.

“X-Factor now, Jade is my favourite to win it, amazing voice,” said Barton.

“2nd favourite is Sophie…….am getting into this X-Factor lark now, no more Sunday games please Sky, ur killing my street cred…ha.”

Meanwhile QPR boss Neil Warnock claims he is not worried whether midfielder Adel Taarabt stormed off after being substituted in yesterday’s defeat.

“I have no idea (whether he left the dressing room),” Warnock said. “I’ve more worries than any individual when you lose 6-0.

“I don’t think you can blame Adel Taarabt. We conceded six goals. You’ve got to look at that.

“If I’m honest, if we had Darren Bent playing for us, and a few England players, we’d have still been beaten 6-0.

“You get days when Adel comes off. You’re going to get days when he throws his toys out the pram, but that isn’t a worry for me.

“If I sub somebody and they are happy, then I have more of a problem with that.”

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Arsene Wenger will reportedly attempt to lure Qpr youngster Adel Taarabt into a move from West to North London this January. The Arsenal boss is looking for further creative midfield options having lost Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas in the summer and has earmarked a move for the Moroccan international.

The 22 year old former Tottenham man has been a huge success at Loftus Road but may well be tempted by a move away from Qpr and has been linked with interest from a myriad of clubs both in the Premier League and on the continent. Super Hoops boss Neil Warnock had stated in the summer that he believed he could struggle to keep Taarabt at the club and the arrival of the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton may lead the newly promoted side to consider offers for the attacking midfielder.

Last term Taarabt racked up 19 goals and almost as many assists as he played a pivotal role in QPR’s title winning triumphs but the one time Lens youth team player’s demands for a new contact appeared to have resulted in a fair amount of acrimony between the player and his club and this could well lead to interest in a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal are believed to be willing to offer up to £12m for a player who is said to have cost QPR around £4m in August 2010 but the Gunners may face competition from cash rich Ligue 1 side PSG who are also said to be monitoring Taarabt.

Whilst Wenger did bring in Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun on a loan deal to help cope with the loss of Nasri and Fabregas, it seems that the Arsenal boss is still keen to add more quality to his midfield and whilst Taarabt has relatively little Premier League experience the French manager believes that the QPR man has the potential to make it at the highest level.

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Qpr have announced that they will not sell their captain Adel Taarabt during the current transfer window.

The 22-year-old Moroccan playmaker was pivotal in helping Rangers win last season’s Championship and, with it, promotion to the Premier League.

Taarabt had been linked to numerous European clubs with Paris St Germain reportedly close to completing a deal.

However, a club statement said: “We are keen to build for the future and not sell one of our prized assets.”

Taarabt, who scored 19 goals last season, picked up the Football League Player of the Year award for his performances and, as a consequence, speculation linking him with a move away from Loftus Road this summer grew.

But Qpr’s majority shareholders Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore have now blocked any move.

Their statement continued: “Despite receiving a substantial bid for our Moroccan international, we rebuffed all approaches.

“Taarabt is fully committed to the club and our decision not to sell him only serves to reiterate the ambition and commitment we have both shown to QPR since we arrived here.”

SOURCE: BBC Sport

It had seemed that former Tottenham man Adel Taarabt was heading for PSG, who are now bankrolled by The Qatar Foundation and have Leonardo at the helm, but now QPR have wisely decided against selling their most prized possession.

It would be no exaggeration to state that without the Moroccan at the Loftus Road the West London side would not have made it back into the Premier League and had they sold the 22 year old then Neil Warnock’s chances of preventing QPR from making an instant return to the Championship would be very slim.

Taarabt was named the Championship Player of the Year last season, netting 19 goals and assisting another 16. One wonders how the playmaker will take this decision, especially as the Super Hoops had stated they were not willing to offer the one times Lens man a new improved contract, one would imagine they may well give in to those demands to keep the talented youngster happy.

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Skysports.com understands Qpr are close to agreeing a fee for the sale of Adel Taarabt after Paris St Germain increased their bid to £15million.

The star playmaker, whose 19 goals last season helped Rangersto the Championship title and Premier League promotion, has been heavily linked with a move to the Ligue 1 giants.

The French side were thought to have previously tabled a £13.5m offer for the 22-year-old Morocco international, which the London club turned down.

But it appears after upping that bid to £15m PSG are closing in on their man.

The former Tottenham midfielder has also been linked to Chelsea and Arsenal, but Warnock has made no secret of the fact he is keen to return to France, where he previously played with boyhood club Lens and where his family resides.

SOURCE: Sky Sports

Throughout the summer Qpr playmaker Adel Taarabt has been linked with a move away from Loftus Road and Super Hoops boss Neil Warnock seems resigned to losing the 22 year old and a move to PSG will look even more attractive now that The Qatar Foundation have taken over at Parc des Princes and with former Inter Milan boss Leonardo at the helm it seems the Parisian side may well challenge for the Ligue 1 title and Champions League qualification.

Taarabt had a remarkable season last term, netting 19 goals and 16 assists to help QPR to the Championship title but seems keen to leave the West London club this summer.

There had been reports that a number of Premier League sides are also keen on the Moroccan international but the former Tottenham man seems to be keen on a move back to France where he previously represented Lens.

If QPR lose a player of Taarabt’s undoubted quality then they may struggle to retain their status in the English top tier.

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Queens Park Rangers are preparing a £4million bid Lazio midfielder Pasquale Foggia if captain Adel Taarabt leaves this summer.

The Italy international is on Qpr manager Neil Warnock’s shopping list if Taarabt does decide to move on from the Premier League new boys.

Paris St Germain have already bid £13.5million for Moroccan international, who has stated his desire to return to France to be closer to his family.

“We are trying to find a solution,” Foggia’s agent, Marco Sommella, told Tuttomwercatoweb.com. “We will see what the market offers.

“We are talking about an important player that deserves to play in an important league.

“There is the option of Cesena, who wanted him a year ago, but there is also the opportunity for him to join Qpr.

“QPR are looking for a player to replace Adel Taarabt if he was to be sold to Paris St Germain.

“Hence, I don’t exclude the possibility that Foggia plays abroad.

“We have to wait and see what the market has to offer also because in Italy everything seems to be at a standstill.”

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Giovani Dos Santos was once dubbed the ’next Ronaldinho’ but this next bright star of the future seems to have made little impact on the most important man of all – his boss, Harry Redknapp.

When the Mexican winger made the move from Barcelona to North London for a very handsome fee of around €6 million, it was seen as quite a coup for Tottenham Hotspur. Under the tutelage of Juande Ramos, the young Mexican was given opportunities but we all know that Ramos’s time didn’t last too long and in came Mr Redknapp.

The former Portsmouth boss has done an incredible job at White Hart Lane but he has failed in producing the best out of a talented youngster, who has the credentials to be a world beater. The fact is, Giovani has rarely been given any opportunities at all by the Spurs boss and has been shipped out on loan to Ipswich Town, Galatasaray and most recently, Racing Santander.

Giovani is not the first youngster that Redknapp has failed to acknowledge in his time at the Lane as he shipped out, the now growing stars of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Adel Taarabt in his early days at the club, due to not being able to find a way to incorporate them into the team.

Boateng now plays for AC Milan and has earned plaudits across the world of football after a magnificent world cup display in South Africa last summer. Adel Taarabt is of course one of the most promising and sought after youngsters in world football, being linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. Redknapp, however, seemed unable to spot the talents of these two young midfielders.

If the club were to have kept these players on for longer then surely it would have left them in better stead to challenge for that Champions League spot last season. Also, they may not have been so worried about losing Luka Modric this summer, if they had the genius, Adel Taarabt to fall back on. Truth be told, the Tottenham hierarchy have made a real faux pas in shipping these players out and they run the risk of doing it again with the Mexican prodigy.

Giovani Dos Santos has been criticised by Harry Redknapp for his supposed lack of professionalism.

This sort of attitude from a footballer is not one that will take you far and if the Mexican is wasting his time out and about at nightclubs at the weekend then he is at fault, but for young footballers this is not uncommon. This happens all the time with youngsters who have got cash to splash but the gaffer just has no interest in helping this talent progress and it is difficult to see why.

Anybody who saw the recent Gold Cup and particularly the final between Mexico and USA will have seen the raw talent this 22-year-old possesses and will be disappointed by the stall in his career.

The winger scored an immense winning goal after dribbling the ball around several players, including the goalkeeper before exquisitely chipping the ball into the top corner to secure a 4-2 victory for Mexico and crown themselves Gold Cup champions.

This beautiful goal topped off a man of the match performance by the Tottenham man, in a game where he showed great drive and determination. Every time the ball came to his feet, onlookers and the USA defence knew something was going to happen and every time, it did!

The forward was constantly running towards goal with the ball, dribbling past several players and playing great link-up player with Manchester United revelation, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez.

At no point did Giovani show any signs of lack of professionalism as he inspired to whole team throughout the match before leading them into the final whistle as champions.

Redknapp surely knows what a talent he has on his hands and must see his quality in training every week and so it baffles spectators as to why he won’t help this young player become the player he is destined to be. Maybe the Spurs boss just does not have the capabilities to guide such players, as was the case with Adel Taarabt and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Redknapp could not figure out how to use Taarabt in an effective manner and take the risk of playing him in the role behind the striker. A couple years later, he signed Rafael Van Der Vaart who filled that position between midfield and defence, proving he couldn’t create his own superstar but instead had to fork out cash for an already establish bearer of that role.

It looks as though the same will happen this summer with Giovani Dos Santos, who looks intent on making the switch back to Spanish shores and linking up with Sevilla in a £6.5Million move.

It is impossible to predict the transfer sage of Luka Modric and whether he will go or not, but the fact remains Harry Redknapp will constantly toe the party line – ‘we are not a selling club, we will not sell our best players’. Probability is that Giovani Dos Santos will leave the club this summer and Redknapp will have lost one of the best young talents to grace the Premier League in a long time, all because the gaffer was too scared to just take a risk on the young lad.

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Queens Park Rangers have rejected claims manager Neil Warnock has resigned from the club.

Warnock guided the west London club back into the Premier League for the first time in 15 years by winning the Championship last season.

But since then rumours of him being forced out have never gone away with speculation the rich owners want a big name to spearhead their return to England’s top flight.

Reports of an argument between Warnock and major shareholder Flavio Briatore continue but Qpr issued a statement saying the manager had not quit.

“The club is aware of rumours circulating today with regards to the future of Qpr manager Neil Warnock,” the statement read on the club’s website

“The club would like to make it clear that Neil Warnock has not resigned from his post and is continuing to work hard behind-the-scenes ahead of the R’s return to pre-season training next week.

“We would once again advise QPR supporters to ignore idle speculation and reiterate that news is only official once it appears via our communication channels.”

Warnock is said to be frustrated in his attempts to sign new players despite being handed a £15million transfer kitty.

Rangers have been linked with free agent Jay Bothroyd, Blackpool striker DJ Campbell and Hull’s Jimmy Bullard, while the future of influential Moroccan Adel Taarabt remains uncertain.

While Warnock admits he has been frustrated in trying to push through deals for new talent, he is optimistic ahead of the start of pre-season training.

“We have targeted a number of players during the last few weeks and although we have missed out on some, the board are continuing to work hard to assist me in bringing new additions to the football club,” Warnock said.

“I am confident that we will have a few new players on board in the next couple of weeks.”

“With regards to my own position, I am really excited about the challenge that lies ahead next season and I can’t wait for pre-season training next week.”

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Queens Park Rangers captain Adel Taarabt claims Arsenal and Chelsea want to sign him but he is happy at Loftus Road.

The 22-year-old inspired Qpr to promotion to the Premier League last season following a 15-year absence from the top flight.

The Morocco international bagged 19 goals and 16 assists in 44 appearances and his form has not gone unnoticed.

The ex-Tottenham playmaker hinted he was open to a £10million move to Newcastle United.

Taarabt now claims title contenders Arsenal and Chelsea have enquired about his availability but insists he is happy playing under Neil Warnock.

“Qpr will demand £10million for me, and for now, the clubs do not move too much,” Taarabt told L’Equipe.

“I had contact with Arsenal and Chelsea, but it is a little muddled [difficult]. Arsenal have not yet sold [Cesc] Fabregas, and as for Chelsea, they do not yet have a coach, so we will see.

“I would like to stay in London – it is the best city in the world, and with Queens Park Rangers? Why not?

“When I talked with the coach, he told me the club would aim to be in the top eight.”

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Sir Alex Ferguson is said to be readying a move for Qpr playmaker Adel Taarabt after it became clear that the Moroccan international may be looking to leave the recently promoted Loftus Road club. The former Tottenham youngster helped his West London side to the Premier League last term and was named the Championship Player of the Year after netting 19 goals and providing 16 assists during the campaign.

Ferguson is looking to bring in new youthful additions this summer and having already snapped up Blackburn Rovers defender Phil Jones is now looking to sign others who can form part of a re-building process that has been sparked by the recent retirements of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Edwin van der Sar.

Last summer the Old Trafford boss brought in Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling, two signings that have already shown their worth, and Ferguson will also look to give more first team playing time to academy graduates Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck who spent last season on loan to Wigan and Sunderland respectively.

Ferguson is known to be an admirer of 22 year old Taarabt and the former Lens youth team player has alerted many prospective suitors with his recent comments about his future at Qpr by stating ‘I helped QPR win promotion but they will not offer me a better contract, They say I am already on big wages.’

Though he is contracted to the West London club until the summer of 2013, Taarabt is thought to have a £10m release clause and is keen to leave if he doesn’t get an improved deal and would surely be tempted by a move to the Premier League champions.

QPR boss Neil Warnock has already conceded that he may struggle to keep the talented midfielder who has enjoyed something of a rocky relationship with Adel Taarabt since his arrival at the club after a successful loan spell, on a permanent basis from Tottenham in August 2010.

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