Queens Park Rangers: 5 Strikers Linked with QPR in January Transfer Window By Emma Booth (Featured Columnist) on December 3, 2012 Despite Harry Redknapp stating Queens Park Rangers will not be looking to spend in January to save their season (via BBC), that has not kept the tabloids from reporting on various players he is looking to bring into Loftus Road. With Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson out injured, Djibril Cisse out of form and Jamie Mackie being pushed as Rangers' lead forward, Redknapp has admitted the club are short of attacking options: "We are not overloaded with strikers here. That's certainly an area we are short in" (via Daily Mail). He can say that again. Having scored just 11 in 15, this is not the sort of goal-to-game ratio Redknapp will be pleased with. And it will most certainly be something he will look to improve on. But what players have been linked with a January move to Loftus Road to assist QPR with their goal-scoring woes? And is there any possibility for any of them? 5. Jermain Defoe As soon as Harry Redknapp took over at QPR, everybody knew there would be links to various Tottenham players. And Jermain Defoe is one of them. At the end of November, Metro.co.uk reported that Defoe had been made Redknapp's top transfer target for January. However, just a week later, numerous media outletsâincluding Sky Sportsâwere informed by the striker that he has no intention of leaving North London. If the opportunity comes to leave the club it won't be happening. I don't want to leave, I'm a Spurs playerâand I'm happy. I'd like to finish my career at Tottenham. I want to achieve something special hereâit's a great time to be at the club. However transfers are rubbished all the time by players, only to be spotted the next day signing for a new club. But this time I think Defoe means what he says. You never know what magic Harry can weave though. Transfer Likelihood: 1/5 4. Loic Remy The first Frenchman on this list who has been linked to QPR this winter is 25-year-old Loic Remy. The Olympique Marseille striker has been told he can leave the club if they receive a bid for £10 million, but he is only interested in Champions League football (via Daily Mail). Queens Park Rangers aren't in the Champions League. However, there is a small chance that if Rangers begin a sudden surge up the table before the window closes, Remy may well be suckered in by Tony Fernandes' "dream" and could be persuaded to move to West London. But only a very small chance. Redknapp has been a fan of Remy since his Tottenham days: âI was interested in Remy at Tottenham but that was then. Itâs a different situation now. He would be expensive. It all depends where we are in Januaryâ (via Daily Telegraph). The realists will claim there is no chance of the striker moving to Loftus Road. But former teammate and current Rangers' player Stephane Mbia's cryptic tweet has given R's fans a little glimmer of hope, at least. Stephane Mbia @StephaneMbia Dream or Reality ? Loic Rémy! I keep the secret! But not for long Time ^^ #QPR #OM 30 Nov 12 Reply Retweet Favorite Transfer Likelihood: 2/5 3. Yoan Gouffran With a reported price-tag of £3 million (via Mirror Football), Yoan Gouffran could be a budget option for Redknapp if he is to buy a striker in January. The 26-year-old's contract is running out in the summer, and therefore his current club may well be keen to sell him at a cut price in the winter before he is able to leave as a free agent. The Daily Mirror reports that Gouffran has been previously linked with Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa, but QPR have now entered the fray for the forward. This rumor is one which is only just developing. At the time of writing, no bid has been made by the club, nor has any comment from Redknapp or his backroom staff been released regarding the Frenchman. He is a more likely transfer target than Loic Remy, however, as Gouffran is not demanding European football. Transfer Likelihood: 3/5 2. Nicolas Anelka All those in favor of seeing the Incredible Sulk in a QPR shirt raise your hands? Just Sergio Batista (the head coach of Shanghai Shenhua) and Mr Anelka himself then, yes? Nicolas Anelka fans are few and far between at Loftus Road, but there can be no arguments that he can't score goals. And goals are what QPR are lacking at the moment. Redknapp is most likely going to be moving and shaking in the loan market come January, and the Frenchman is a prime target for the manager (via Daily Mail). The striker has been linked with a return to the Premier League since July (via Metro.co.uk), and unfortunately for some fans, it doesn't look as though this rumor is dying down. The biggest issue for Tony Fernandes will be the Frenchman's wagesâestimated at £250,000 a week (via Daily Mail). And the biggest issue for Redknapp will be if he can keep Anelka's egotistical personality on a tight leash. However if both of these problems are overcome, there is a high possibility he could join the West London outfit during the Chinese Super League off-season. Transfer Likelihood: 3.5/5 1. Darren Bent Darren Bent is a very unhappy footballer at the moment. In Paul Lambert's bad books, and benched more times than Steve Harper at Newcastle, Bent is looking for a way out of Aston Villa (via ESPN). The Guardian reports that Redknapp is ready to prepare a bid for the striker, with £10 million being the price proposed as the maximum Villa could expect to sell the player for. It all looks like Darren Bent should easily become a QPR player come January: His current club don't want him, and QPR do. He has a 1:2 goal-to-game ratio, and Rangers need a proven scorer. And Redknapp used to manage Bent at Spurs. However, that last point could well be the stumbling block, after they fell out when Redknapp accused the striker of missing a chance "my missus could have scored" (via The Guardian). But Mirror Football claims there are no hard feelings between the two men, which makes Darren Bent the striker most likely to move to QPR come January. Although you never can tell when it comes to 'Arry. Transfer Likelihood: 4/5 Honorable Mention: John Guidetti And the honorable mention goes to John Guidetti of Manchester City. Linked with QPR back in September during the darker days of the Mark Hughes reign, the Swedish starlet was supposedly on course for a loan move to West London (via Daily Mail). Although Hughes is no more, there is no reason not to believe Redknapp won't take a look at this City striker as a potential replacement for his band of injured men.
The fact that a striker needs service, and therefore chances, to score goals seems to have eluded her.
We need two new defenders and two new forwards. Money is supposedly tight so I can see at least two of these being loans. Anelka and Keane would be good loan options. Historically the only players available in the Prem in Jan are squad players, that other clubs want rid of. We have half a squad full of these already. Harry might have to pull a rabbit out of a bag this time to get any value.
If I were Villa I would be reluctant to sell Bent to a relegation rival. Just as Blackburn was last year with Samba, didn't do them any good though
ive been reading this site for about a year now, but never commented or anything. but i think this has to be said. not being funny mate (kiwiqpr) but I think bashing this girl (or woman) is getting out of order. first off, she writes more than just the articles you post here (i've read them) but you seem to be only interested in ones you disgaree with which is pretty childish. second, i know for a fact that site she is on sometimes gives the writers the titles to write on, which means she'll have to write on stuff she may not agree with. your post titled 'emma booths latest thoughts' is not a true post title. she is simply stating '5 strikers linked to QPR' from other press. not 'i think these 5 people are going to be the people to turn QPRs season around and this is their only issue'. it's a pretty simple topic that you seem to enjoy spinning around to make her look bad (again) and play the big I am. no, i dont always agree with what she says. and no, she aint always right. but neither are you. grow up and stop hiding behind a fake name. Yeah i no i am too. but this emma girl isnt. give her some credit at least. oh, and no, i dont know her, i;m just getting tired of reading how you think you know best when, mate, football is about opinions. everyone has different ones. she isnt on this site (as far i i know) so she doesnt have a chance to defend her self. it's out of order. so give it a rest.
Emma Booths nice to meet you. You can search material for your columns on this board and use it as long as you give credits to our board. Cheers
This forum is about debate and discussion, posters are entitled to their opinions. Just because you don't agree with them doesn't make them wrong!
Interesting entrance there Taarbs! Despite your disclaimer, your content and tone does appear to protest a little too much (as El P cleverly suggests) to be a genuine third party... Still, who knows? As for gunning Kiwi, he can be a bit ironic at times but has never carried the kind of agenda you're suggesting. He's in no way out of order and I for one encourage him to continue pulling up the kind of stuff he does. Re. Emma Booth. A lot of people blog on QPR, some often very good (TIME) and others not so. To date I've found Emma's stuff in the latter category, a bit stilted and mechanical, like some semi-detached and basically researched student's homework. Having said that, and before reading the subsequent posts, I actually enjoyed this piece. Still a bit stilted but generally better considered and informative. Evident progress - but don't give the day job up just yet! Just my own opinion on a forum that's here to debate such things. Your turn!
Alright Darling. Not a very subtle way to pretend you're just an anonymous poster that's just signed up to a Site with the sole purpose of defending Emma Booths. Look, if you're going to write articles about a Football Club, its going to generate discussion and in many cases criticism. Best give yourself a blokes pseudonym or better still, get out of the game altogether love.
look. as i said, i dont know her, I am not her, and i dont i have anything to do with her, but I think she gets a bad rap on here. yeah i did sign up to write this, but i've read this site for nearly a year and have enjoyed reading all your posts since last year. everyone has their opinions, and as i said sometimes i dont agree with what she says either. but i don't think laying into her is fair. thats my opinion. and i just wanted to share it. maybe i'm getting soft in my old age.
Ok ok ok....This is gonna sound REALLY stupid but..........Who is Emma Booth ??? I've never heard of her but if it makes me look a lot better i can pretend i do.
