It seems that Spurs fans, at least a minority of them, are pinning a lot of hopes on their 18-year-old prodigy Adel Taarabt. But is this a desperate attempt for Tottenham fans to seek a hero to save them from another UEFA Cup season?

Don’t get me wrong, the intention of this piece is not to rile the opposition days before the big North London derby. I am genuinely asking the question: “Is too much attention and hype being put on such young and untested shoulders?” The way he has been laden with platitudes you would think he had actually completed more than 45 minutes in a top level football match.

The potential is there for sure. I have seen him in action, scaring the life out of West Ham, Chelsea and Derby defences, but I honestly do not think he is any better than at least half a dozen of Arsenal’s similarly young players. He is no Cesc Fabregas that’s for sure, that isn’t too say that Adel won’t become a treasured asset at White Hart Lane.

'Adel Taarabt is a player with a future that’s for sure, but let's keep things in proportion lest he loses his way and becomes another also ran, another star that could have been'


It's just that if he is covered in superlatives and compared to legends such as Zinedine Zidane, then one of two things might happen. One, the player himself, or perhaps more crucially his agent, will get too big for his boots and stumble and fall due to weight of expectation. Or two, the player gets frustrated at not getting the chance he deserves in the first team because he starts believing his own press that; he is, in fact, the best thing since sliced bread.

I think the bigger issue is that Arsene Wenger seems far less hesitant to give his young players real time on the pitch. He constantly fields players who are short of experience and youthful. He does so in big games, although he does also expertly use Carling Cup and Champions League games to do so, albeit once his side are sure of progression out of the group stage.

There are players at Tottenham who have already shown what they can do, and players who really are top drawer talent and have their impressive careers brightly set out before them. Talent such as Aaron Lennon, who is a masterful winger who always thrills on the ball, Tom Huddlestone, Michael Dawson and even Gareth Bale.  These are all players who have already proved what they can do.

Adel Taarabt is a player with a future that’s for sure, but let's keep things in proportion lest he loses his way and becomes another also ran, another star that could have been. I think that Martin Jol should use him as a starter sooner rather than later, but I also think that any fan, Spurs or otherwise, should simply sit back and watch the talent grow so that he can make a great name for himself without having to be compared to others.