Cook joined QPR for a third time in his career on a season long loan deal from Fulham in the summer of 2008, making the move permanent in January 2009.

DOB – 03/08/82
Height – 5ft 9ins
Weight – 12st
Contract – 2011 

A tricky left winger with an eye for a dangerous ball into the box, Lee Cook started his career with non-league Aylesbury United but was quickly spotted and picked up by First Division Watford. ‘Picked up’ is probably a kind way of putting it with Aylesbury furious about Watford’s conduct in the transfer and an unsuccessful legal action ensued. .

Cook shone for the Watford reserve side when Graham Taylor was manager and made several appearances in yellow towards the end of the 2000/01 season, starting with a debut at Grimsby Town. Gianluca Vialli didn’t fancy him much though after taking from Taylor and loaned him out, first to York and then to Queens Park Rangers.

Cook first signed for QPR in the 2002/03 season on loan for three months and his tricky wing play and devilish crosses caught the eye at Loftus Road as Rangers turned round a desperate run of form that almost cost Ian Holloway his job and eventually made the play offs. He returned to the club he supported as a boy permanently 18 months later when his Watford contract expired and QPR went to tribunal to set a fee following their promotion to the Championship.

In the meantime he’d become a first team regular at Vicarage Road under Ray Lewington and his superb form played a big part in keeping Watford in the league in the 2003/04 season.

His form was patchy and inconsistent under Ian Holloway at the start of this second spell but he excelled playing for first Gary Waddock and then John Gregory and walked away with the Player of the Year award for the 2006/07 season after a magnificent campaign. Despite Rangers battling against relegation Cook topped the division’s assists chart and formed a lethal partnership with Dexter Blackstock who scored 14 goals during the season – 12 of them assisted by Cook.

His form that season was enough to convince Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez to take him to Craven Cottage and a protracted transfer saga ensued before Lee finally made the move across the Hammersmith Broadway. QPR would dearly love to have kept him but with the club on its knees financially once again the sale was necessary to pay tax and other bills and keep the club alive for a few more weeks at least. Cook did his part by handing his £250k signing on fee owed as part of his contract back to QPR.

A knee injury picked up towards the end of his time with QPR ruled him out of the start of the season and complications with that meant that he wasn’t fit to play until January by which time Sanchez had been sacked and replaced by Roy Hodgson. Cook never got a look in under Hodgson and spent the last three months of the campaign back in the Championship on loan at Charlton – playing at Loftus Road against QPR but sadly leaving the field injured after just a quarter of an hour.

As stated, Chairman Gianni Paladini never wanted Cook to leave in the first place and once the takeover by Flavio Briatore was complete he set about trying to prise the winger out of Fulham’s grasp and reinstate him as fans’ favourite at Loftus Road. Loan and permanent offers were made for the player for at least six months before Fulham finally caved in and allowed Cook to return to Loftus Road a week before the start of the 2008/09 season.

That loan move was made permanent in January for around £1m but Cook has so far failed to recapture his earlier form, despite a fine Boxing Day goal at Charlton, and regularly had fans' hearts in mouths by falling to the floor clutching his troublesome knee. Paulo Sousa was sacked after revealing details of Cook's fitness problems, among other things, to supporters and it was reported in the Daily Mirror at the end of the season that rather than embarking on a summer of strengthening exercises as he had planned he in fact requires another clean up operation and will be out for four months from June.

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