Benfica have this morning signed Adel Taarabt on a free transfer, the club have announced.

Taarabt bid farewell to QPR on a free transfer having seen his contract "terminated by mutual consent," the club wrote on their website.

He signs a five-year deal with the reigning Primeira Liga champions, who also won the Portguese League Cup, Taca da Liga, last season. The 26-year-old is clearly excited about the move, telling his new club that, as soon as his agent told him of their interest, he "immediately said yes."

Taarabt also described the switch as a "huge opportunity," and it certainly is as the midfielder now has a new chance to prove himself after a difficult past few seasons on Loftus Road.

Taarabt has spent time out on loan

The Moroccan international had spent the last two years out on loan away from QPR, following a fall-out with previous manager Harry Redknapp. Redknapp stated that Taarabt was "three stone overweight" as he criticised the player's attitude and commitment to football.

Taarabt spent the first half of the 2013/14 season with Fulham, making 16 appearances and scoring once in all competitions. However, his performances did not convince the Cottagers to sign him on a permanent basis, or even extend his loan until the end of the season, meaning he returned QPR in January 2014.

By the end of the month though, Taarabt secured a loan move to AC Milan for the remainder of the season. He scored four goals in 16 games for the Italian side, and made his Champions League debut in February last year in a 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid.

Taarabt at QPR - unfulfilled potential?

Taarabt can play either as a winger or as an advanced midfielder and is a confident footballer, though this sometimes comes across as arrogance. He leaves QPR having made a total of 164 appearances and scored 34 goals, across two loan spells and one permanent stint that have kept him on the books at Loftus Road since 2009.

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About the author
Amee Ruszkai
Head of the Sunderland, Swansea City and women football sections at VAVEL UK. Email: [email protected]