TheSportsCampus

Managerial rivalries are a commonplace in the world of football and Arsene Wenger knows a thing or two about contentious rivalries, enjoying legendary clashes with everyone from Sir Alex Ferguson to Jose Mourinho. The veteran Frenchman has had a frosty relationship with Mark Hughes too, with the ex-Man United legend ruffling Wenger’s feathers from his time at Blackburn Rovers. And, ‘Sparky’ has put the kibosh on Wenger’s rumoured plan to raid Loftus Road for Adel Taarabt.

The Sun report that the most talented member of Queens Park Rangers’ struggling squad has been linked with a move across London, specifically to the Emirates. QPR are accustomed to exit talk surrounding the Moroccan by now as he has constantly been linked with bigger clubs ever since the club gained promotion. But the Hoops have managed to hold on to the 23 year old despite their fight for safety and Hughes is well aware that the attacker’s form will have a direct impact on their chances of survival.

He said this to the press ahead of QPR’s trip to Stoke: “It wouldn’t surprise me if clubs were looking at him but I know for a fact that he is very happy here and he sees his future here. This is the best place for him because we support him, we give him the best chance to be successful and he understands that.”

It is hard to see where Arsenal would fit in Taarabt if they were to lay their hands on him. Summer arrivals Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud have all cemented their place in the starting line-up while Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott offer plenty more going forward. But Wenger is possibly worried by their lack of fluency in recent weeks and is thus seeking a different type of player to add thrust in the final-third. Taarabt is tied down at Loftus Road until 2016 and any transfer will involve a hefty pile of money.