Flashback 4 Years - Remy Joins Chelsea!
Aug 31, 2014
Loic Remy: Chelsea complete £10.5m signing of QPR striker
From the section Football
Loic Remy
Remy moved to QPR from Marseille in a club-record £8m deal in January 2013
Chelsea have announced the signing of Queens Park Rangers striker Loic Remy on a four-year deal.
Chelsea triggered a £10.5m release clause in Remy's contract on Saturday lunchtime and he was then left out of QPR's squad to face Sunderland.
"I feel very happy and very proud," said Remy, 27. "When I heard Chelsea wanted to sign me I said 'let's go'."
Arsenal also made an enquiry for the Frenchman on Saturday night but quickly ended their interest.
Chelsea had been seeking to reinforce their attack after Fernando Torres moved to AC Milan on loan.
"They are one of the best clubs in the world," Remy added.
"I remember the amazing atmosphere at Stamford Bridge when I played there for Marseille and I can't wait to play for the first time in front of my new fans."
Remy was close to a move to Liverpool earlier on this summer when the Reds also met his release clause but the transfer fell through after reports of a failed medical.
Loic Remy
Remy scored 14 goals in 26 Premier League appearances for Newcastle last season
It is understood he offered to play against Sunderland but QPR boss Harry Redknapp decided to leave him out.
"The deal looks like it has been done, so I had to make a change," said Redknapp after the 1-0 victory.
"He was in the team. I just got a phone call about 12 o'clock to say it looks like he is going to be moving.
"He didn't refuse to play, but it's difficult to go out there to play and get your head around it."
Arsenal will be without striker Olivier Giroud until the end of December with a broken leg but it appears they are unlikely to bring in a forward to fill the void.
The Gunners enquired about Remy when they thought one of their strikers may leave but, with that now not likely to happen, they ended their interest.
www.bbc.com/sport/football/28994304Chelsea Official, his first interview
www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/08/first-words--loic-remy.htmlFirst words: Loic Remy
LOIC REMY: EXCLUSIVE FIRST INTERVIEW
Loic Remy completed his move to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon and quickly sat down with the official Chelsea website to discuss the transfer, before heading to France on international duty...
Loic, welcome to Chelsea. How do you feel to be here?
‘I feel very happy and very proud to have signed for Chelsea. They are one of the best clubs in the world and I can’t wait to get started, training and playing with my new team-mates, when I get back from international duty with France.’
Was the opportunity to play in the Champions League an important factor in your decision to move?
‘To be honest I wanted to play in the Champions League this season so yes, that was another of my motivations for coming here. I know that Chelsea can win the Champions League this season because there is so much quality in the squad. The first thing to aim for is winning titles.’
You’ve played at Stamford Bridge once before, for Marseille back in 2010…
‘It was amazing. The stadium was completely full and the fans made a lot of noise, shouting and screaming all game. The fans and the atmosphere from that game is a very good memory for me. I can’t wait to play my first game at Stamford Bridge now.’
Have you spoken with the manager, and what did he say to you?
‘Yeah, I spoke with him. He is very clever and he knows exactly what he wants. He has targets for me and I know I have a target for myself as well.
‘Everybody wants the best so the discussion was really good. I know he can get the best out of a player and I’m looking forward to working with him.’
You join an illustrious list of French players to have pulled on the Chelsea shirt over the years…
‘I’m very proud and I’m going to try to follow these French guys. There have been so many famous French players at Chelsea that have done really well. I don’t say I want to be a legend like some of them but I’m going to do my best. I think the supporters are going to enjoy watching me and we can have some good moments together.’
What is your preferred position?
‘I’m a striker but the thing is I can adapt myself for any situation. I have played on the left and the right side in the past, so I know I can play anywhere in the attacking positions. It’s up to the manager where he decides to put me.’
We have already scored many goals this season. How excited are you to link up with the attacking players we have in the squad?
‘I think it’s normal when you play for a big team like Chelsea to have many good opportunities as an attacking player. We have two great strikers here already and I don’t have a choice if I want to be in the team - I have to play at a very high level.’
Read more:
qprreport.proboards.com/thread/39855/remy#ixzz5PvunVBDaFlashback to mid-July
West London Sprot - 17/07/2014
By David McIntyreQPR chairman wants Remy’s future resolved
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes says he wants Loic Remy’s future to be decided in the next couple of weeks.The likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Liverpool have been linked with the France striker, who spent last season on loan at Newcastle.
There has also been speculation about the nature of a clause in his Rangers contract, which allows clubs in the Champions League to sign him for around £8m while others would have to pay significantly more.
Arsenal have made an approach but appear to have been put off by his wage demands, while West Ham recently made an enquiry.
QPR chairman Tony Fernandes
Fernandes wants Remy to stay at QPR this season.
Newcastle want to sign him on a permanent basis but Remy, 27, is not keen to return to the North East.
Fernandes, who signed the player from Marseille for £8m in January last year, would like him to stay at Loftus Road.
Either way, he wants the situation resolved sooner rather than later.
“I’d like to keep Remy and I think I’ve made that clear, but he has to want to stay,” said Fernandes.
“He’s turned down some clubs. Some clubs have come in and he’s said ‘No, I’d rather stay at QPR’.
“If it’s a club that’s not dissimilar to QPR, then why go? If it’s a club that’s much bigger then I won’t hold him back.
“The decision has to be fairly soon. We don’t want to be without a striker. My position on Remy is that I’m not going to wait until two days before the transfer window [closes].“I signed Loic and he did a great job for QPR and for Newcastle. I don’t think he would only stay for the money. He wants to be France’s top striker and believes in his ability.”
Taarabt's future is also uncertain following his return to Rangers.
Taarabt’s future is also uncertain following his return to Rangers.
Remy is due to report for training when he returns from holiday, while Adel Taarabt is already training with Rangers after also ending last season on loan, at AC Milan.
Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who ended last term on loan at Toronto, is likely to cut his ties with Rangers, but the future of Taarabt – the star of the 2010/11 promotion-winning campaign – is less certain.
“I would like him [Taarabt] to stay because he’s had a great history with us,” said Fernandes.
“He’s never done it in the Premier League – he’s done it in flashes – but he is probably one of the best players I’ve ever seen.
“But it’s up to him – whether he wants to do it or not. From a professional standpoint I think it would be great if he stayed.
“But I only want players who want to get out there and play for us. That’s my message.”
www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/football-wls-tony-fernandes-on-loic-remyJust glad he's too decent to leave at the last minute!
Loïc Rémy ‘too decent’ to leave QPR in late deal, says Harry Redknapp
• QPR manager hopeful buyout clause will not be triggered
• ‘I don’t think he would suddenly walk away the day before’ Press Association
theguardian.com, Thursday 14 August 2014 07.56 EDT
Loic Remy Loïc Rémy, left, played for France at the World Cup but shortly after a proposed £8.5m move to Liverpool broke down. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images
Loïc Rémy is “too decent a guy” to leave QPR in a move close to the transfer deadline, according to the manager Harry Redknapp, who remains confident of holding on to the France striker despite continued interest from rival Premier League clubs.
The QPR manager admitted he fears a last-minute swoop from a Champions League club but hopes the 27-year-old’s future is resolved long before the 1 September transfer deadline.
Rémy is back at QPR after a move to Liverpool broke down, with Redknapp confirming the former Marseille striker will be ready to face Hull in Saturday’s opener. “You hope that doesn’t happen,” said Redknapp of the chance a rival could poach his forward due to his £8.5m buyout clause. “But at the end of the day if he’s got a buyout clause there’s very little you can do about it, I would imagine. That would be the worst scenario.
“I don’t think he would want to do that either to us. He’s a good lad, he’s got a good relationship with the chairman. With a week to go before the window closes we all need to know where we’re going. I don’t think he would suddenly walk away the day before. I think he’s too decent a guy to do that.”
Redknapp believes Rémy would only leave QPR for Champions League football. “I sat down with him when he came back but I didn’t have to persuade him, we sat down and he just said: ‘Look, I’m back, I want to play, I’m here,’ ” said Redknapp. “So unless something comes up Champions League or something massive for him, he would like to stay here and play.
“And he’s shown that attitude every day on the training ground. I couldn’t have asked for more from him. He’s been great, he’s worked hard, he’s done his running, he’s got himself fit, he’s a proper professional and that’s all you can ask.
“There have been several clubs that have rung up about him, in the Premier League, but I don’t think that they would be clubs that he would particularly want to leave QPR for. “We hope Loïc will stay, he’s a fantastic player and his attitude since he’s been back has just been absolutely first-class.
“I’m not trying to sell him because we don’t want to sell him. For me really, he should be a £20m striker, in comparison to others that are getting sold for £12m. To have lost him for the amount that we were going to, he would have been too cheap.
“When I looked at what he was going to go for to Liverpool, it was a fantastic buy at that money. So their loss is our gain, I think.”
www.theguardian.com/football/2014/aug/14/loic-remy-qpr-harry-redknapp-transfer