He’s done the right thing to distance himself.
At least now he won’t have to live up to the expectations too much, especially given his high status as a ‘fan favourite’.
Ilias Chair has gotten off to a fantastic start this season, recording one goal and three assists so far this season, better than his past two seasons combined (via Transfermarkt). He has drawn comparisons with former QPR idol Adel Taarabt, but speaking to talkSPORT he has been quick to distance himself from being compared directly to him, although he finds it relatively flattering to see his name in that sort of company:
“People compare me to him because we are from the same country. He’s a different kind of footballer to me, but I don’t turn down those kind of comparisons. He is a showboater, and an unbelievable one at that. I have to say it would be a dream come true to play with Taarabt for Morocco.”
Now it’s not really in my wheelhouse to speak ill of Taarabt, the man was fantastic for the club and is welcome back any day of the week, but I feel that Chair has got it absolutely spot on to try and distance himself from those comparisons.
It shows that he’s incredibly level headed and is focused on his effort for the team rather than trying to make it all about himself. If he were to start labelling himself as being better than Taarabt or something like that, then all he’d be doing would be setting himself up for a fall if he didn’t hit those heights. Better to keep your expectations low and exceed them, rather than set them high and not.
Will Chair end up being better than Taarabt?
Yes
No
And it gives him the chance to kind of create his own legacy when it comes to time at Loftus Road, which even if it is half as good as what Taarabt was able to bring to the table, then he’ll be well on his way to creating a fine legacy.
