Tahar El Khalej (Arabic: الطاهر الخلج, romanized: Taher Lakhlej; born 16 June 1968) is a Moroccan former footballer who played as a defender.
Making his debut on 22 October 1994, against Vitória de Guimarães, he was frequently used as a midfielder alongside Mário Artur and Abel.
With the arrival of Jupp Heynckes, El Khalej lost influence and made only 4 league appearances, two as a substitute in the 1999–2000 season, so he moved to Southampton in March 2000 for £350,000, as Glenn Hoddle's first signing for his new club, although the deal had already been arranged by Dave Jones.
Faced with stiff competition as a central defender from Claus Lundekvam and Dean Richards, he was later employed in a midfield role.
One of his more notable moments was during a match against Newcastle on 12 May 2002, where he made a reckless lunge on Kieron Dyer, which earned him a straight red card.