QPR’s frantic summer of squad rebuilding continues apace with former Fulham man Chris Baird and Colombian striker Duvan Zapata in talks with the R’s and several others heading out.

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Baird is currently training with the R’s and is in talks over a one year contract with a one year option, although reported interest in the Northern Ireland defender could drive the price up.

Manager Harry Redknapp told the Fulham Chronicle he was keen to get the transfer tied up, having been critical of the QPR board for missing out on targets by dallying over deals in the past.

Redknapp said: “I like Chris Baird. He knows what he’s doing and he’s a good player. I’d like to do something with him.”

It’s widely reported that Colombian striker Duvan Zapata is in town this week for a medical at Rangers ahead of a proposed four year deal at Loftus Road. West Ham were chasing the forward earlier this summer but were put off by his slim chances of getting a work permit. Zapata, who will cost anywhere between £750k and £6.4m depending on your choice of media outlet, is not a regular for the Colombian national team but is expected to figure in the World Cup at the end of the year. Tonight’s Evening Standard reports that Rangers will attend a hearing later this week hoping to get him into the country on the “special talent” rule, with Napoli waiting in the wings to snatch the 22 year old Estudiantes player if it falls through.

It’s a fairly outlandish transfer for a Championship club to try and pull off that one, but not quite in the same league as the rumoured pursuit of Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe, who still harbours World Cup hopes of his own and scored 18 times for the North London outfit in the Premier League last season. Harry Redknapp poured cold water on that deal at his Friday press conference, but is keeping quieter about a much more likely move to bring in his old favourite Peter Crouch from Stoke before the window closes on September 2.

Redknapp said: “It’s wishful thinking to get Jermain, even though I’ve signed him so many times. I think it might be difficult to get him. But this is a tough league - Saturday, midweek, Saturday midweek, and I still need four strikers.”

Redknapp also confirmed he was interested in taking 24-year-old Liverpool winger Oussama Assaidi on loan for the season. The Moroccan arrived at Anfield from Dutch team Heerenveen a year ago but hasn’t impressed so far and told his Twitter followers last week that he would spend the coming campaign on loan at Loftus Road.

Redknapp told West London Sport: “I’m not sure what’s happening there, but he is a player we’re interested in. We’re trying to get him here on loan.”

Plenty heading out as well. Adel Taarabt, Loic Remy and Ji-Sung Park all left the club on loan last week while Anton Ferdinand was released. Redknapp said on Friday: “I’m not sure about all these loans out, we need to sell a few as well,” and Armand Traore is likely to be the next big earner on his bike.

Redknapp has never really been a fan of the Senegalese left back and told the media on Friday “Armand’s not fit again at the moment. I think he wants to leave.He’s got this dodgy calf or something. I know all about knees, but mine’s genuine.”

West London Sport reports the R’s have an offer for Traore on the table from Dynamo Moscow. For Redknapp though the regret is that the wantaway stars didn’t show the same keenness to play in the Premier League for QPR as they now do to leave the club.

He told the Fulham Chronicle: “It’s a nonsense. If they’d played better last year they wouldn’t be in the Championship. But there’s a good atmosphere around the place and there are one or two lads still going to leave. The dressing room is all-important — If you’ve got that, you’ve got a chance.”

With all of that going on it’s to the team’s credit that the R’s are unbeaten in three matches at the start of the season following the weekend draw with Huddersfield. Defender Clint Hill, currently captaining the side, sang the praises of the new look R’s as they fought back from a goal down to take a point at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Hill told the club’s official website: "We're unbeaten and moving in the right direction. We're united as one. We've got some good lads here and there's a far better spirit amongst the group that we've had for the last 12 to 18 months. We know when we go onto the pitch now that there are 11 players who will give their all for the club and that's all you can ask for.

"It was a tough game, as always in this division. We knew it would be tough and we made it more so by giving a goal away, but we showed great character again to get ourselves back into the game. The second half was a much better performance from us and we were a little bit unlucky not to score a second from the numerous chances we created.”

For coach Kevin Bond, taking the post match press conference as Harry Redknapp continues to recover from knee surgery, it was a match the R’s should have won comfortably.

He said: “We had a number of chances but it didn’t really happen for us today, either because of a save from their keeper or the final ball, or our finishing. It was certainly a game that we felt we should have won. We know the Championship is going to be tough this season, it will be very hard for everyone. We have to make sure we are physically and mentally ready, but we are prepared for that.”
Bond also confirmed that popular midfielder Ale Faurlin was left out because of a thigh strain.

In other news the club’s Elite Development Squad roared back from two goals down to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 in a behind closed doors friendly. Bruno Andrade, Hogan Ephraim and Tom Hitchcock all scored in the second half as Marc Bircham’s side recovered from a two goal half time deficit.

QPR: Lumley, Gibbons (Magri 60), Young (Brown 46), Sendles-White, Trialist (Monthe 75), Sutherland (Fitzpatrick 70), Laurent, Ephraim, Andrade, Shariff, Hitchcock

Loan Watch

Shaun Derry made his debut for Millwall at the weekend but couldn’t prevent the Lions losing 3-0 at Ipswich Town. Derry told the Fulham Chronicle he’s keen to make the move permanent but with Steve Lomas not the most popular appointment as manager in the first place, and Wall with two defeats from two games and no goals scored so far, a change at the top could scupper that plan.

Derry said: “It’s up to me to produce the goods. And at the end of the month, we will sit around the table and see what can be sorted out. I had tentative inquiries from other clubs - you just have to look at the fact that Harry Redknapp has signed two midfielders in the last fortnight alone - but I have always had a soft spot for Millwall. With my in-laws being fully paid up fans, at least half of my family is happy about it. Pulling on the shirt will be right up my street. I'm absolutely chuffed about sorting it out - and QPR have been as good as gold.”

While Derry is settling in well at The Den the same cannot be said of Adel Taarabt at Fulham quite yet. The Moroccan was booed by a section of the home support as the Cottagers finished their summer pre-season campaign with a home match against Parma at the weekend. Afterwards manager Martin Jol told West London Sport it was up to his new charge to prove himself to his new supporters.

Jol said: “He should not be in the situation he is now. There are a lot of good players in this country and Europe who are in that situation and not playing. I always say that for us it is an opportunity to take them when they are ‘bad’. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad players — we have to try to get the maximum out of them.

“For us it’s not possible to get all these players who are ‘good’. Dimitar Berbatov was probably an exception and so was Brede Hangeland. With the rest, you have to try to be creative and I think with Adel Taarabt we were very creative. A year ago he was probably going to Paris St-Germain for a lot of money. They threw him out of the QPR squad and I was happy to take him. But I think he has to prove now again that he can do a very good job. He’s 24 now and hopefully he will prove to us and to anybody else that he can do a good job.”

An unhappy start to life at Gillingham for Michael Harriman too. The Gills were dumped out of the League Cup by Bristol City on his debut last week and followed that up with a 4-0 defeat at Wolves at the weekend.

Former R’s

Veteran striker Leroy Griffiths has moved to Harrow Borough from Sutton United. The 34 year old has now played for 15 different clubs and told the Kilburn Times he hoped he could pass on experience of how not to behave to the younger players at Borough.

He was also full of praise for his former Rangers boss Ian Holloway saying: “Ian Holloway took a chance on me, he took me out of bad habits. I loved playing for him. If he had a problem with you, he would come and say it to your face. There are not many managers like him nowadays. If there were, maybe football would not have the problems it does.”

Championship Shorts

- Yeovil have signed Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey on a month long loan deal after first choice stopper Marek Stech broke his hand during Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham. Hennessey hasn’t played for Wolves since April 2012 because of a knee injury.

- Watford, the division’s early pace setters, have added Algerian international defender Essaid Belkalem to their ranks on a season long loan from sister club Granada. Rhe Hornets loaned in the majority of their first team last season from Udinese and Granada, who are also owned by the Pozzo family, but have signed many of them permanently this summer after the loan rules were tightened. This is their first loan signing of this season.

- Brighton have signed Bolton midfielder Keith Andrews on a season long loan. Andrews, 32, said: "It came as a bit of a bolt out of the blue as I featured heavily in pre-season. It's all been a little bit strange. It was a decision they made and they obviously made it very clear I wasn't wanted at the football club."

- Leeds midfielder Rodolph Austin has said he was shocked to be made club captain prior to Sunday’s dour goalless draw at Leicester. The Jamaican said: "I was shocked to be honest because I didn't know the gaffer had so much respect for me and saw me as a leader. He called me to his office on Friday and I was blown away."

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Photo: Action Images

probbo added 08:56 - Aug 13 That's a great picture of the dugout above. The three old guard in deep conversation with a sinister looking Stevie McLaren lurking behind about to stab Redknapp in the back with a sharp pointed object - giant syringe up his sleeve perhaps?!! It will be interesting to see if this pursuit of Zapata comes to anything but given the recent hassles some Clubs have had with South Americans (Tevez, Saurez) i'm wondering if its a wise move. Given the potential costs, an audacious £2-£2.5m bid for Odemwingie might be better for us. I'm still backing Charlie Austin to bag a load of goals this season.

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