5 Years Ago: Cesar, Granero, Mbia & Magri Join #QPR

[Macmoish]

-
Bump: 5 Years ago

(And Barton off to Marseille)

- 5 Years Ago: Cesar Joins
Julio Ceasar - on a four year deal


qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32887/cesar-joins-qpr-official-announcement?page=1


EXCLUSIVE: JULIO AGREES DEAL



PUBLISHED
19:53 29th August 2012
by @officialqpr
Brazilian number one set to seal Loftus Road switch

The English Premier League is the best division in the world. Everyone wants to play here and I am no different."
Julio Cesar
EXCLUSIVE: JULIO AGREES DEAL

Brazilian number one set to seal Loftus Road switch

LEGENDARY Brazilian number one Julio Cesar has agreed a four-year deal at Loftus Road.

The 32 year-old goalkeeper – who has 64 international caps to his name – has agreed a contract until the summer of 2016, after leaving Inter Milan.

The deal, however, is subject to the player receiving international clearance and being granted a visa.

The imminent arrival of Cesar – who won the Champions League and five titles with Inter during his seven years in the San Siro – represents quite a coup for QPR manager Mark Hughes, who expressed his delight at the arrival of the experienced shot-stopper.

“It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to attract a keeper of such outstanding ability to the club,” said Hughes.

“When the opportunity to sign a player of his quality presents itself, you have to act quickly and we’ve managed to get the deal done.

“It was always my intention to bring two goalkeepers to the club this summer and now we’ve got fantastic competition in that department.”

Hughes added: “He’s an outstanding individual, as well as being an outstanding player.

“Not only will we benefit from his ability, but we’ll also benefit from his experience and winning mentality.”

Cesar – who was voted the third best goalkeeper in the world in 2009, as well as Serie A keeper of the year in 2009 and 2010 – told http://www.qpr.co.uk: “I’m so happy and excited to be here.

“The ambition of this club was presented to me by the chairman and the coach and I couldn’t have been more impressed.

“The desire to achieve things at this club is clear for everyone to see and I wanted to be part of that. I have come here to compete for the shirt and give my all.”

He added: “The English Premier League is the best division in the world.

“Everyone wants to play here and I am no different. Now I just want to give my all to the club and show the fans what I am capable of.

“This is a really exciting move for me and I can’t wait to get going.”

Cesar, who will wear the number 33 shirt, is expected to be available for selection for the R’s home fixture against Chelsea after the international break.



QPR Official Site

TONY HAILS CESAR DEAL

Chairman elated with Julio signing

We want players who give their everything to the team; want to excel; and want to be part of this venture with us."
Tony Fernandes
QPR CHAIRMAN Tony Fernandes has hailed the looming arrival of Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar to Loftus Road.

The 32 year-old shot-stopper has agreed a four-year deal in W12 and will officially become a QPR player once he receives international clearance and is granted a visa in the coming days.

Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, Fernandes said: “This is a really significant coup for the football club.

“Julio’s track-record and standing within the game speaks for itself and we are delighted to have him on board to compete with Rob Green and the other keepers at the club for the coveted number one jersey.”

Fernandes added: “I think it shows our ambition that we’ve managed to attract a player of Julio’s undoubted talent and class to Loftus Road.

“He’s at the peak of his powers as a goalkeeper and I’m sure the Rangers fans are as excited as I am about seeing him play for us”

Cesar will become Mark Hughes’s ninth signing of a busy summer, but Fernandes refutes the claim that the club are spending beyond their means, adding: “There’s been a lot written in the press in the last few weeks and this is as good a time as any to set the record straight.

“We’re not panic-buying; we’re not spending beyond our means; and we’re certainly not throwing money away like some are reporting.

“We’ve got a very strict and precise business plan in place at this club and any deal we do for a player is well within our budget.”

He added: “We’ve sold or released 14 players this summer and Julio is our ninth arrival.

“This summer was always going to see a big overhaul in terms of players, but we’ve been very prudent with the deals we’ve done and we’re building for the future.

“We are clear and forthright in our strategy. We want players who give their everything to the team; want to excel; and want to be part of this venture with us.

“We are fully aware it will take time for this time to gel. We are still relatively new to the Premier League.

“It’s about stabilising and then moving forward over the years. It a cliché, but it’s a marathon not a sprint, and we are building all the time.”
www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/290812-fernandes-cesar-341920.aspx



The Thread qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32887/cesar-joins-qpr-official-announcement?page=4#ixzz2dQpQZnys

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/25926/ago-cesar-ferdinand-hulse-smith#ixzz3BrKj79Kf

qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32887/cesar-joins-qpr-official-announcement



- Granero Joins QPR Thread
qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32914/granero-official?page=1


- Mbia Signs Thread
qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32941/mbia-official-signed-qpr


- Magri Joins Thread
qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32924/welcome-sam-magri-official





GRANERO
R’s seal sensational deal for Real Madrid midfielder

I love the passion of the English fans and from what I know QPR supporters are amongst the very best. "

Esteban Granero

THE CLUB is delighted to confirm the signing of Real Madrid ace Esteban Granero.

The talented midfielder – who has made 60 appearances for Los Blancos – has penned a four-year contract at Loftus Road, after the two clubs agreed an undisclosed fee for his services.

A darling of the Santiago Bernabeu terraces having come through the Madrid Academy set-up, the 25 year-old midfielder arrives in W12 just three months after helping Madrid win the La Liga title, his third major trophy.

R’s boss Mark Hughes believes Rangers will benefit hugely from having a player of Granero’s ilk at the club, commenting: “He is a great player, first and foremost. You don’t play at a club like Real Madrid if you’re not.

“He has been there from the age of nine, so this has been a huge decision for him. He is very well regarded there and for him to leave a club of that stature to come to us shows the belief he has in what we are trying to do.

“He has got great energy and is technically very gifted, as you would expect from a Real Madrid player. He is very comfortable on the ball and is an all-round excellent midfielder, which we will benefit from.”

Hughes added: “What we are doing at QPR is having an impact on players. It is probably true to say that if we had approached certain players three or four months ago about joining the club, the suggestion wouldn’t have been entertained.

“But people now know we are serious and we are trying to do something different here. And that message is out there now which is why we are able to sit in front of quality players and once we are given that opportunity, we feel we have a good story to tell them. That’s why players are deciding that QPR is a great option.”

Granero, who will wear the number 14 shirt at Loftus Road, told http://www.qpr.co.uk: “I’m very happy to be here.

“I love the passion of the English fans and from what I know QPR supporters are amongst the very best.

“I think QPR will continue to grow as a club and I want to be part of a very bright future here.

“When I spoke to Mark and Mike (Rigg), as well as Tony (Fernandes) I was convinced that I wanted to be part of this project, which has no limits.

“I am delighted to be part of this exciting chapter in the club’s history. Players that have joined before me are as excited as I am about what QPR can become, one of the great teams in England.”

22:39 30th August 2012

by @officialqpr

We take a look at Mark Hughes’s latest summer signing …
THE ARRIVAL of Esteban Félix Granero Molina from Real Madrid represents yet another significant coup for R's boss Mark Hughes.

The 25 year-old midfielder, who joined Madrid as an eight year-old, arrives at Loftus Road just months after helping Real win the La Liga title.

After coming through the ranks at the Santiago Bernabéu, Granero made the step up to Madrid's C squad at the age of 17, standing out for his talent and passing skills, and going on to receive the Números 1 Don Balón award as the 'Most Valuable Player' of the fourth division Group 7 in 2005/06.

Granero – who is also known as El Pirata (the pirate) in Spain owing to his outlandish hairstyle– spent the 2008/09 campaign on loan at Getafe - also based in Madrid - making 27 appearances and scoring three goals.

At the end of the season, which included a run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, Granero returned to Madrid.

However, Getafe came back in for the midfielder in July 2008, with Granero penning a permanent deal. Under the terms of the deal, Madrid agreed a re-buy option, which after making 35 appearances and scoring five goals in the 2008/09 season, was exercised in July 2009 in a deal reported to be worth four million euros.

Granero's first Madrid goal at senior level arrived in the opening game of the 2009/10 season away at Espanyol, and he went on to make 31 appearances in La Liga.

The arrivals of Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil in 2010 restricted his starts the following season, but Granero was still a valuable squad player, scoring a crucial goal from the bench in a 1-1 draw versus Almería, as well as playing his part in their Copa del Rey triumph over Barcelona.

Last season, Granero played a vital role in the Madrid squad that clinched the La Liga title. He made 17 La Liga appearances, as Jose Mourinho's side saw off the threat of Barcelona to win their first league crown in four years.

www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/300812-granero-profile-343658.aspx

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32914/granero-official?page=2#ixzz2dWx94voq




MBIA

QPR Official Site

PUBLISHED

22:48 31st August 2012

Cameroon international Mbia arrives on two-year deal

The ambitions of the club and what the board of directors and the manager want to achieve here excites me greatly."

Stephane Mbia

QUEENS Park Rangers Football Club is pleased to announce the signing of Cameroon international Stephane Mbia.

The versatile Mbia – who can play in either defence or midfield – has signed a two year-deal in W12, after Rangers agreed an undisclosed fee with French side Olympique de Marseille for his services.

M’Bia was born in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde and began his career at the Kadji Sports Academy when he was 17 years-old.

He later signed for French outfit Rennes in 2004, scoring his first goal in professional football two years later against Lyon, before joining Marseille in 2009.

He has represented his country 36 times, scoring on three occasions.
Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, R’s boss Mark Hughes said: “Stephane is a very good player, and is another who can play in a number of positions.

“He is very adept as a defensive midfielder but he has been regularly playing at centre back so we have got another player who can add to the flexibility of the squad.

“He is a big, strong guy with a strong mentality. He wants to win and is the type of player I want at the club.

“We have been talking about getting a centre back and he is in my mind for that role, but he is just as adept in midfield and I wouldn’t have any worries about playing him in either position.”

Mbia expressed his delight at the move, commenting: “It was an easy decision because this is an important move for my career.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play in the Premier League, which I believe is the best league in the world.

“The ambitions of the club and what the board of directors and the manager want to achieve here excites me greatly.

“I am so happy and enthusiastic about what the future holds here and can’t wait to be part of this exciting project.”

Mbia will wear the number 40 shirt at Loftus Road.

www.qpr.co.uk/news/article/310812-mbia-signs-345843.aspx
Last Edit: Aug 31, 2012 at 6:27pm by Macmoish

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[Macmoish]

And responding to question re so much spending



The Guardian/Jamie Jackson

Tony Fernandes's QPR continue quest to spend or be damned
QPR's approach to sign players with little re-sale value raises questions over Tony Fernandes's vision for the club

Last September Tony Fernandes, Queens Park Rangers' new owner, told the Guardian: "The message is: 'I don't know where we'll take this club, but we'll give it our best shot.'"

In the first season following promotion the journey would be a haphazard stumble to near-relegation shaped by a scattergun recruitment policy that now stands at two managers, 40 players used and 16 recruited if Michael Dawson's expected move from Tottenham Hotspur goes through.

Factor in the desire of the manager Mark Hughes, who replaced Neil Warnock in January, to add Real Madrid's Ricardo Carvalho (on loan) and Dawson's Spurs colleague Jermain Defoe before 1 September and that is enough for a completely new match-day squad since Fernandes became majority shareholder.

All this would be fine if QPR had kicked-off their first full campaign under Hughes with style and stability, but by 4.50pm on Saturday Michael Laudrup, in his first Premier League match as a manager, had overseen Swansea City's 5-0 hammering of the Hoops at Loftus Road.

Hughes's words following their survival, despite losing 3-2 to Manchester City in that final day championship decider, suddenly convinced a little less. "We will never be in this situation again while I am manager," the Welshman said. Hughes's optimism was probably founded in his knowledge he would never have to select Joey Barton in a QPR XI again.

After witnessing how the midfielder came close to costing the club their Premier League status by being sent off against City in May, and compounding this with further clashes with Sergio Agüero and Vincent Kompany – for which Barton received a 12-match ban – Hughes hoped the midfielder's travails and tweeting would soon be someone else's problem.

Barton was the first player to be signed under Fernandes's ownership. Hindsight's wisdom now places this and his appointment as captain by Warnock as a disastrously wrong tone-setting move for the new era, one from which Hughes is still trying to recover the club.

Those 40 players called upon by QPR are five more than any other club in the corresponding period. Norwich City and Swansea City, promoted alongside QPR in 2011, have needed 29 and 28 respectively.

The profiles of the 15 signed so far during Fernandes's time in charge reveal the fault-lines in the club's policy. Only six could be expected to have either a significant sell-on value or have their best years ahead of them.

After Barton, 28-years-old when he arrived in August 2011 and who has been linked with a loan move to Marseille, came Luke Young (32, joined last August), Shaun Wright-Phillips (29, last August), Djibril Cissé (30, January) Bobby Zamora (30, January), Andrew Johnson (31, this summer), Ryan Nelsen (34, this summer), Rob Green (32, this summer), Park Ji-sung (31, this summer) and Dawson, who is 28.

If the 34-year-old Carvalho and Defoe, 29, arrive, then expect the wags at Loftus Road to whistle the theme from Dad's Army whenever QPR play. Hughes's squad also includes Kieron Dyer, 33, and Shaun Derry, 34. Both were named on the bench against Swansea.

Of the 16, only the 22-year-old Junior Hoilett, Anton Ferdinand (27), Armand Traoré (22), Nedum Onuoha (25), Samba Diakité (23) and the Manchester United loanee Fábio da Silva (22) have an argument for youth or sell-on value. A source close to Fernandes told the Guardian: "We haven't paid for 95%, many are free transfers and many of these players, for example, Junior Hoilett, have huge value."

In a multi-tweet dispatch following Swansea's 5-0 rout of QPR, Fernandes said: "That was a pretty poor anniversary. Worse than last season. But I remain positive. We haven't gelled yet. Have faith and be optimistic. I always said it takes time to gel this team and know our formation. There are some positives. Ji was great. Hoilett looked good. We dominated the first half. I don't honestly feel that bad. But 5-0 is 5-0.

"[The] defence was very poor today. No excuses. But this is a far better place we are in than last season against Bolton [QPR lost to them 4–0 at Loftus Road on the first day]. [There are] many many positives. I feel we are in a much better place, just takes time. At 2-0 we chased the game and lost shape. Its about a season not one game."

Fernandes even offered Hughes the confidence vote not always welcomed by managers. "I have a fantastic relationship with Mark Hughes," he said. "He's as disappointed as me. He will fix this. No one expected this. Better now than later. For all QPR fans we are working overtime. Once we have analysed the game we know what we have to do. Body blow but we are all fighters."

QPR are at Norwich City on Saturday, themselves 5–0 losers at Fulham last week, before a challenging three-game run which features a trip to the champions, Manchester City, the visit of Chelsea, the European champions, and the short journey to Tottenham Hotspur, who finished fourth last season.


Telegraph/Jeremy Wilson

QPR’s owners speculate to accumulate real success
Spend-spend policy stakes Loftus Road future, but at least the Mittal family millions provide safety net

Another day in another transfer window and once again it was not Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester City generating the biggest headlines but Queens Park Rangers.
With Jose Bosingwa, a Champions League winner, having already arrived and negotiations ongoing yesterday for Real Madrid’s Ricardo Carvalho and England centre-back Michael Dawson, QPR’s back four against Norwich on Saturday could bear no resemblance to the one which lined up in their 5-0 opening-day drubbing against Swansea.

After the additions already this summer of Ji-Sung Park, Robert Green, Junior Hoilett, Ryan Nelsen and Andrew Johnson, it will also represent the continuation of a recruitment pattern at Loftus Road that is certainly ambitious but also extravagant and highly risky. Add in Kieron Dyer, Joey Barton, Luke Young, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Anton Ferdinand, Nedum Onuoha, Djibril Cissé and Bobby Zamora, all signed since promotion was achieved from the Championship, and Mark Hughes has one of the most experienced squads in the Premier League.
Yet it is also a team with limited resale value and, for a club on QPR’s relatively moderate turnover, an extraordinary wage bill.

In the most recently published accounts, which relate to QPR’s Championship-winning season in 2010-11, the wages to turnover ratio was a whopping 183 per cent. It led to an operating loss of £25.7million. The next accounts, expected to be published in April, could be more eye-watering still.

Nobody is pretending that the model is even remotely self-sustainable in the short term but there might still be method in what some might regard as madness. Yes, in the recruitment of seasoned internationals on wages that cannot be covered by their natural resources, there is a possible comparison with Portsmouth or even Leeds. Yet it is equally possible to point to the examples of Manchester City, Chelsea, Wigan, Stoke City, Fulham, Middlesbrough and Bolton as clubs who were successful in establishing themselves at a new level in the Premier League after an initial injection of outside funds. It is about speculating to accumulate.

There is certainly no particular concern at the Premier League’s headquarters in Gloucester Place over QPR’s strategy. In the wake of Portsmouth, tighter sustainability tests were introduced and clubs are required to produce financial information on how they will meet their commitments during the year.
The viability of QPR’s model is underpinned by the vast wealth of the club’s owners. The 2010-11 accounts with their strategy for growth at every level, should provide considerable reassurance to supporters.
Although net debt as of May 2011 was £56.1million, all outstanding loans can be described as “soft” in that they are only owed to Tune QPR Sdn Bhd, a company owned by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and Ruben Gnanalingam or the Mittal family’s Sea Dream Limited. Given that the Mittal family, who are 33 per cent owners of QPR, feature regularly in the top 10 of Forbes’ list of the world’s richest people, the safety net should be considerable.

The focus for the owners stretches well beyond this summer’s investment in the playing squad. Beneath some frantic transfer activity, change at QPR is being implemented from bottom to top. Planning permission has already been secured for a new training ground at Warren Farm that is due to be opened next year.
There has been an overhaul of the technical staff beneath Hughes. Mike Rigg, the technical director, was appointed from Manchester City in April and, in the last 48 hours, Shaun Hallett has come in as the head of academy and football operations, Levin Cruickshank as scouting coordinator and Stuart Webber, Hans Gillhaus and Steve Hitchen have been added to the scouting team.
A longer-term desire to move towards self-sustainability is reflected in negotiations over two west London sites that could house a new 45,000-seat stadium. Phil Beard, QPR’s chief executive, is focused on growing the club’s fan base over the next five years to the extent that a larger new stadium could be filled. As well as its modest 18,500 capacity, Loftus Road has only 18 executive boxes.

“What we desire is an arena for QPR that could have multi-use capabilities,” said Beard. “If we are serious at QPR about building a club and generating improved income then we have to consider another site.

“We need to grow our fan base and engage with young people and the community and become a club that is not just known in London and around Europe but further afield.”
Beard realises the dangers: “The game is so competitive it tempts clubs to push their financial boundaries.”
The lasting commitment of QPR’s owners will decide whether the boundaries have been sensibly stretched in a fascinating first year back among English football’s elite.

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/queens-park-rangers/9493601/QPRs-owners-speculate-to-accumulate-real-success.html



Evening Standard

Tony Fernandes rejects talk of QPR panic buys

3 August 2012

Tony Fernandes denies that Queens Park Rangers have overspent this summer.

There have been seven arrivals and QPR are in talks with Real Madrid’s Ricardo Carvalho (loan), Tottenham’s Michael Dawson and Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

Owner Fernandes tweeted: “Wages are less than last year 15 players already left. And we have spent a net of 1.5m this year. There is no panic.”

He also told TalkSPORT: "None of those deals that have been reported have actually been done. We have been talking on many, many fronts. When they're done we'll announce them, if they're done," he said.

"But there have been many things we have been trying to do over the last eight days."

Asked about Dawson specifically, Fernandes said: "I'd rather not comment. We are in discussions but QPR have got to run a sensible business. I think people out there think we are just throwing money and panic buying, all these kinds of words I hear. I think we are very calm at what we want.

"We have done some sensible business over the summer and we are not going to throw it away. We are here for the long run and we'll do things properly."

Brazil international Cesar was a key part of the Italian side's Champions League win two years ago but now looks set to leave the San Siro.

Samir Handanovic arrived from Udinese this summer and Cesar has been allowed to speak to other clubs about a move.

Tottenham have been heavily linked with the 32-year-old but it is understood that QPR are in talks with the Inter goalkeeper.

The west Londoners' technical director Mike Rigg is speaking with Cesar's representatives to see whether a move to Loftus Road can be pushed through.

The news comes just days after summer signing Rob Green's blunder set Swansea on course for a surprise 5-0 victory at QPR.


www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/tony-fernandes-rejects-talk-of-qpr-panic-buys-8076246.html

Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32803/articles-mass-spending-fernandes-responds?page=1#ixzz2dWziIzqM
Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32803/articles-mass-spending-fernandes-responds?page=1#ixzz2dWzclqhC


Read more: qprreport.proboards.com/thread/32803/articles-mass-spending-fernandes-responds?page=1#ixzz2dWzXIBuO

[Macmoish]

Bump: 2 Years Ago

[Macmoish]

Bump 3 Years ago

(And as I noted yesterday:

The end of the Window signings of 4 Years ago

In those last few days of the Transfer Window...Neil Warnock in Charge...Tony Fernandes splashing the money...Phil Beard in charge of contracts


Joey Barton from Newcastle

Luke Young from Aston Villa

Armand Traore from Arsenal

Shaun Wright-Phillips from Man City

Anton Ferdinand Sunderland

qprreport.proboards.com/thread/41842/qprs-crazy-signings-aug-2011#ixzz3kHlIngpM

[Macmoish]

Bump 4 Years