following the 2007–08 season, tafer signed his first professional contract with lyon agreeing to a three-year contract until 2011. for the 2008–09 season, he was placed on lyon's first-team squad and was assigned the 34 shirt, though he was reassigned to the number 29. tafer was a key participant in the club's preseason tour playing in four of the five matches contested. he scored three goals in the preseason netting one each against second division club nîmes, romanian club rapid bucureşti, and fellow ligue 1 club nancy.