Taarabt and Remy loaned out, QPR start with two wins — diary Wednesday, 7th Aug 2013 23:42 by Clive Whittingham With under a month to go until the end of the transfer window players are now moving in and out of QPR’s bloated squad on a daily basis. NewsFew transfers this summer have divided opinion as much as the departure of Adel Taarabt who has agreed a season long loan deal at near neighbours Fulham. The 24-year-old Moroccan said: "This was a difficult decision for me, but at this stage of my career I feel I need to be playing at the top level. I hope the fans understand my decision and I really hope to return to Loftus Road one day. I wish QPR well for the season and hope they achieve promotion back to where I believe the club belongs.” While Fulham manager Martin Jol told West London Sport: “I hope to get the best out of him. I’m confident and he’s confident. I like his creativity. I will try and find a way for him to gel with the others because I think he can do a hell of job for us.” It means that Tony Fernandes seems to have got his way over the loan deal issue. Manager Harry Redknapp has repeatedly said this summer that he didn’t see the point in loaning players out and the club should just do a deal for those who didn’t want to stay to leave permanently. Fernandes has however said on Twitter that loan deals could be a good option for certain players as they could return if QPR are promoted again. How realistic that is, or whether it’s just spin and the chairman wants to avoid criticism that would come his way for a permanent sale of Taarabt, we’ll have to wait and see. Rangers have also loaned out striker Loic Remy for the entire season. The French international signed for £8m in January and impressed in the Premier League last season scoring six times for the R’s. He was never likely to play in the Championship in a World Cup year but his wages and a rape charge hanging over him restricted his options for a permanent move so he has joined Newcastle on loan. The Magpies almost signed him permanently instead of QPR at the start of the year and have paid £2m for the privilege of taking him on at the second attempt. Remy said: "It will be a huge honour to play for such a big club.I was very flattered by the club's interest in me back in January and also very happy that they showed interest in me again this summer. I am very motivated this year to get into the World Cup squad for my country. I know in order to do that I need to have a big season and a successful campaign with Newcastle United." Newcastle director of football Joe Kinnear added: "The need for us to strengthen up front was a priority and I have been working very hard to secure one of our targets in this position." Further departures are almost certain. Shaun Derry could be one, with Rangers’ Championship rivals Millwall circling and ready to offer regular first team football which Derry may struggle to get at Loftus Road where Gary O’Neil and Karl Henry have been added to the midfield options. Derry told Sky Sports: "There is a link there, but obviously I played last night for 30 minutes and enjoyed playing. I'm 35 now, I'm not 25 and a guy who likes to sit on the bench. I spent quite a lot of last year on the bench watching from the sidelines, and I'm a footballer who likes to play football.If there was to be an opportunity for me to play elsewhere then that is something I'd really have to look into quite deeply, but as it stands at the moment I am a QPR player and a very committed one. "Me and Harry have had a frank discussion last night and, although I am a QPR player, I am very open to playing football. I don't want to be wasting my final years, not that I feel I am anywhere near the scrapheap, but for the short-term playing games is really at the forefront of my mind. I really missed playing a number of games last season. If, and it is a big if, I was to be given an opportunity at Millwall or anywhere else for that matter, it is something I would definitely have to look into." Oddly, goalkeeper Julio Cesar doesn’t seem to be in quite such a rush to leave and find first team football. Cesar is currently the Brazilian number one but with a World Cup in his homeland at the end of the year surely won’t want to jeopardise that position by staying at QPR where he’s currently not even making the bench. Nevertheless a deal with Napoli fell through when he refused to lower his wage demands from what he currently earns at Loftus Road and now a proposed more to Fiorentina could be about to go the same way. His agent told Football Italia: “I never had contact with Fiorentina, but I did send a close friend to speak to the Viola. For now there is no news. QPR would have no problem letting him go to Fiorentina or to any other club, but if the €3.2m doesn’t arrive then it’s difficult to close the deal. The move can be made only if we are offered a four-year contract. He has a contract with QPR until 2016, so it has to match that date. The length of the contract could compensate for a difference in wages, but if it expired earlier than 2016 then it would be pointless. Julio Cesar likes Fiorentina, so they could be the right team for him to target a World Cup spot.” Financial complications too for Ji-Sung Park who is moving back to his former club PSV Eindhoven on a season long loan. That deal was signed this morning according to the Korea Herald but with PSV operating a strict wage cap of no more than €1m per player per season QPR will have to top up the rest of Park’s earnings while he plays there, according to reports in Holland. No news on Joey Barton who ha surprisingly started both games for QPR so far, and even more incredibly been given a hero’s welcome by a section of the Rangers support. He broke off from courting Everton and Marseille via Twitter to let the R’s fans know he was “humbled” by the reception he got in the weekend win against Sheff Wed at Loftus Road.
Fulham defender Chris Baird is likely to come the other way into the club. Rangers are light of centre back and left back options, particularly if Redknapp succeeds in shifting Armand Traore, and Baird is available on a free transfer. The Fulham Chronicle reports that Rangers face competition from Bolton and West Brom for his signature. Rather more implausibly, press reports at the weekend suggest Rangers are close to signing Tottenham’s England international striker Jermain Defoe. The former West Ham striker scored 19 goals for Spurs last season and is still in the England reckoning but that hasn’t stopped the press linking him with a move to the Championship — some papers report he has sought reassurances from Roy Hodgson that playing for QPR wouldn’t rule him out of the World Cup. Andy Johnson told Sky Sports: "We don't need to speak how big the club is, the club's massive. It's got massive backing, the chairman's been fantastic, it'll be great to give him something back. Jermain has worked under Harry before, he's worked with a lot of the boys before. I worked with him for three or four years at England. He's a great lad. He's worked with Jermaine Jenas and few of the old Tottenham boys and there are a lot of people here who could attract him to the club. When I've moved to clubs first you look and see who you do and don't know at clubs. I think that has an influence on where you choose to go in the end, so fingers crossed and hopefully Jermain will come." The players that are at the club and playing made it two wins from two games last night with a comfortable 2-0 success at Exeter in the League Cup. Assistant manager Joe Jordan told the club’s http://www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/060813-joes-joy-at-exeter-win-973828.aspx#BvHP website: “We want to build some momentum here after last season. We’ve started well with two wins and you can see the confidence is running through the side at the moment. The new lads have come in and made an impact and like I say, we’re pleased with how we’ve started, but there’s still a lot more to come for this group of players.” Junior Hoilett has recovered from a dire end to the last campaign and starred in both matches so far. He said: “We had a good pre-season. You could tell from the first day that there was a different mentality amongst the lads. I think the first few games have shown that we’re all in it together. When we lose the ball, we fight to win it back — and when we attack, we’re free-flowing and going forward in numbers. Momentum will be massive for us this season. Winning two games on the bounce always helps that confidence and scoring two goals and keeping a clean sheet will give the lads a boost. We’re all fighting for each other to bounce back from last season’s disappointments.”
While Hoilett’s impressive wing play hasn’t yet led to a goal for him this season, Charlie Austin got off the mark with his first for the club just a minute into his full debut at St James’ Park. He said: “I didn’t know too much about it if I’m honest. The ball broke out to JJ on the edge of the box and I managed to stick a leg out — it was a striker’s instinct. Like any good striker, if you get the final touch, you claim it. It was definitely a case of right place, right time. “I’ve come here to help this club get back to where we all feel it belongs. QPR are a big club in this division and the quality we’ve got and the players the manager has signed shows the intent of the owners. That’s why I came to QPR — to give myself the maximum opportunity to get out of this league and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do that.” Loan WatchMichael Harriman has joined League One newcomers Gillingham on a one month loan deal after their regular right back Matt Fish was injured in an opening day defeat at home to Colchester. Harriman went straight into the side for the League Cup game at home to Bristol City last night but couldn’t prevent the Gills sliding to a 2-0 defeat. Former R’sGoal scoring starts to the season for two ex-QPR men on Saturday. Patrick Agyemang headed League Two side Portsmouth in front against Oxford before they crashed to a 4-1 defeat and Jamie Cureton scored on his debut for Cheltenham Town against Burton Albion. The Robins were helped into a 2-0 lead by Cureton’s strike but ultimately had to settle for a 2-2 draw against the Brewers who, like Cheltenham, were beaten in the play-off semi-final last season.
Not such good news for Chris Samba whose second spell at Anzhi Makhachkala could be over before it has really begun. QPR bought Samba for £12.5m in January but returned him for £12m this summer after relegation. Now though the club is embarking on sweeping cost cutting measures. Dutchman Rene Meulensteen, formerly a coach at Man Utd, replaced manager Guus Hiddink a fortnight ago but after failing to win any of his first four Russian Premier League matches has been sacked after 16 days. The Daily Mail reports that the entire team is now up for sale with billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov wanting to start again with a focus on local home grown talent. Meanwhile Pascal Chimbonda has been telling the BBC why, at the age of 34, he is playing for free at semi professional outfit Market Drayton in the Northern Premier League Division One South. Neil Warnock is scathing of Chimbonda’s attitude to his profession in his recently released autobiography but there’s no sign of those problems in the player’s most recent interview. He said: "It's very frustrating when you don't do the job you love. Age is nothing because my body is in good shape and my head is good. I'm waiting for someone to come and get me because I've really missed playing - I feel I'm back to full fitness. I'm very happy to help out at Market Drayton because they are giving me a chance to play again.” It’s a similar story for Gary Borrowdale as well who, aged just 28, is training with Tonbridge Angels having been turned down by Conference outfit Dartford after a trial. Championship Shorts- Blackpool winger Tom Ince has been charged by the FA with making an offensive gesture to a match official during his team’s 1-0 League Cup defeat at Preston on Monday night. The incident was not spotted by the referee but was picked up on the Sky coverage of the game. Afterwards Tom’s father, and Blackpool’s manager, Paul was furious that the game was followed by a pitch invasion during which a steward was trampled by a police horse. - Wigan’s summer rebuild job continues apace with Sunderland’s Republic of Ireland winger James McClean set to become the tenth new addition to Owen Coyle’s squad. An undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £1.5m has been agreed for the 24-year-old. - Norwich winger Andrew Surman says he still believes he can play regularly in the Premier League and hopes a loan spell at Bournemouth will help him achieve that aim. Surman said: “I feel I am a Premier League player. I felt I had a decent first season and feel I can get back there again." - Sheff Wed manager Dave Jones has read the riot act to veteran winger Jermaine Johnson after he was sent off for headbutting in his team’s 2-1 League Cup defeat at local neighbours Rotherham on Tuesday night. Jones said: "It's just total stupidity. You can't headbutt someone. He's done it before and he's been told. It's completely unacceptable and I can't defend it and neither can he." - Bristol City have accepted a bid of £1m from Middlesbrough for winger 25-year-old winger Albert Adomah. Boro are desperate to kick start their season after following a 2-1 home defeat by Leicester on day one with another 2-1 set back against League Two side Accrington in the cup last night. - Barnsley have denied reports linking them with a loan move for Southampton striker Billy Sharp, but are talking to Hull about signing former Peterborough man Aaron McLean. Doncaster are interested in bringing Sharp back to the Keepmoat Stadium. Tweet @loftforwords Pictures — Action Images Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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