Simon Walton joined QPR from Charlton for a quarter of a million pounds in the summer of 2007.

DOB - 13/09/87
Height - 6ft 1ins
Weight - 13st 5lbs
Contract Expires - 2010

The forthcoming 2008/09 season represents a massive nine months in the career of Simon Walton. He started his career at Leeds United and was tipped for big things after making his first team debut at the age of 16 in 2004. He made 32 appearances on his first full season but after Leeds threw money at trying to return to the Premiership, Walton found himself out of favour and was used just five times the following year.

He was still hot property though and Iain Dowie made Walton his first Charlton signing for nearly £1m. Following Dowie's much publicised departure from the club, Walton fell down the pecking order and was subsequently loaned out to Ispwich and Cardiff. He made 19 appearances and scored three goals, including one at Loftus Road, for the Tractor Boys and spent the second half of the season in South Wales.

John Gregory brought him to Loftus Road for £250,000 when Alan Pardew decided he had no use for him at The Valley but he broke his leg in a friendly with Fulham within days of arriving and missed the first half of the 2007/08 season recovering. Won man of the match plaudtis on his first full start for the club in a 2-1 defeat at Plymouth on Boxing Day when he played centre half however Luigi De Canio decided the final six months of the season were best spent on loan at Hull City. Walton's time at the KC Stadium was mostly spent on the bench - five starts and five sub appearances - and the locals didn't take kindly to his penchant for midweek games at Elland Road and Leeds United replica shirts. Hull won promotion to the Premiership via the play offs, but he was left out of the final squad altogether.

The appointment of Dowie as QPR manager would appear to be good news for Walton on paper but after three permanent clubs and three loan moves in just four seasons he really needs to settle down either at QPR or elsewhere and get some games under his belt if he's to fulfill his early potential.

Photo: Action Images

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