QPR fans still wait with baited breath to see if any of the prospective transfer deals the club is involved in come off in time for the Sunday visit of Coventry City.
Rangers are said to be close to agreeing deals to bring Danny Shittu, Wayne Routledge and Ishmael Miller to Loftus Road while several other players have also been linked.
Neil Warnock today spoke to the Uxbridge Gazette about the Routledge deal and admitted it is a long way from being completed.
He said: “We've nothing definite yet and it's far from being finalised. The clubs have agreed but I think he has a personal issue to sort out with Newcastle. We could be ten points clear or back in sixth place in ten games time. In many ways the run in starts now and I'm looking forward to it.”
West Brom have confirmed that Miller could be on his way to Loftus Road for the rest of the season but manager Roberto De Matteo told his club’s official website it may depend on them bringing in their targets, John Carew of Aston Villa has been linked, before the deal can be done.
He said: “Ishmael trained yesterday for the first time. We're deciding on the QPR move - it is an option. To a certain extent it will depend on us bringing someone else in. If if happens it will be for the rest of the season. In the last 18 months he hasn't been able to play one game of 90 minutes. He needs to play consistently week in, week out to be able to reach his full potential and match fitness. We can't give him that at the moment. The stage where we are means we haven't got the time to do that. To play every week will be good for him."
Pascal Chimbonda, who seemed certain to be heading QPR’s way earlier this month, may now be reunited with former manager Paul Jewell at Ipswich once a dispute over money (not like him at all) is settled with Blackburn Rovers who are keen to end his contract.
Elsewhere Warnock has told the Kilburn Times that midfielder Akos Buzsaky should be back in contention for selection in February after his recovery from knee surgery. Warnock said: “Akos has just started doing a bit more. It’s really good news for us. He’s stepped things up and, while we’re not going to rush things with him, having him back will be a big boost.”
- Middlesbrough’s hopes of beating the drop have been dealt a blow today with the news that highly rated centre half David Wheater has moved to Bolton for £2.3m. The fee could rise as high as £3.8m depending on appearances. Wheater said: “I had a look around the facilities and it was a really easy decision to make. From what I've seen there is a really great atmosphere at the club and a real buzz about the place and I'm looking forward to working hard and showing the manager what I can do."
- Barnsley have also lost their prized asset today with midfielder and spectacular goal specialist Adam Hammill joining Wolves for £500k after the Molineux outfit activated a release clause in his contract. Hammill, who has scored eight goals for the Tykes this season and is a former Liverpool trainee, said: “Wolves are a massive club and I'm pleased to be getting the chance to try and play Premier League football. I think my ambitions go hand in hand with the club's."
- Millwall have signed Norwich defender Jens Berthal Askou on a one month loan deal, potentially paving the way for Danny Shittu to move to QPR at the end of his three month deal at the New Den.
- Notts County defender Ben Davies is attempting to force through his move to Derby by submitting a transfer request. Notts had previously turned down two cash offers from the Rams and manager Paul Ince said: “"I said to him 'I don't want you to go, you're part of my plans' but he's put in a transfer request. It's sad but sometimes you cannot do anything about it.”
- Scunthorpe have signed Morecambe winger Mark Duffy for an undisclosed fee.
- Palace have confirmed that they are looking to build a new ground on the site of the Crystal Palace athletics stadium which will become redundant once the Olympic Stadium is built, if its running track is retained after the games. The plan throws a further spanner in the works at Spurs who were hoping to build a new stadium on the site of the Olympic one, and invest in the athletics facilities at Crystal Palace by way of compensation.
Matchday tube closures:
Hammersmith and City Line – No service on entire line all weekend.
Circle Line – No service on entire line all weekend.
Overground – No service between Shepherds Bush and Wealdstone, Queen’s Park and Watford, Richmond and Stratford or Gospel Oak and Barking.
District Line – No service between Earls Court and Dagenham East.
Bakerloo – No service between Queen’s Park and Harrow and Wealdstone
Jubilee – No service between West Hampstead and Stanmore.
Metropolitan – No service between Aldgate and Harrow.
DLR – No service between Stratford and Bow Church, or Westferry and Beckton.
Championship deals done so far:
David Wheater, Middlesbrough to Bolton, £2.3m
Aaron McLean, Peterborough to Hull, £1.3m
Matty Fryatt, Leicester to Hull, £1.2m
Adam Hammill, Barnsley to Wolves, £500k
James Chester, Man Utd to Hull, £300k
Michael Morrison, Leicester to Sheff Wed, £250k
Sean Morrison, Swindon to Reading, £250k
Jon Parkin, Preston to Cardiff, £100k
Brett Williams, Eastleigh to Reading, £50k
Sol Bamba, Hibs to Leicester, undisclosed
Seamus Connely, Galway to Sheffield United, undisclosed
Mark Duffy, Morecambe to Scunthorpe, undisclosed
Jermaine Easter, MK Dons to Palace, undisclosed
Abdisalam Ibrahim, Man City to Scunthorpe, undisclosed
Liam Lawrence, Stoke to Portsmouth, undisclosed
Alex Marrow, Blackburn to Palace, undisclosed
Josh McQuoid, Bournemouth to Millwall, undisclosed
Andy O’Brien, Bolton to Leeds, undisclosed
Paul Reid, Colchester to Scunthorpe, undisclosed
Matt Ritchie, Portsmouth to Swindon, undisclosed
Theo Robinson, Huddersfield to Millwall, undisclosed
Marc Tierney, Colchester to Norwich, undisclosed
Marcus Tudgay, Sheff Wed to Forest, undisclosed
Tommy Smith, Portsmouth to QPR, undisclosed
Miguel Comminges, Cardiff to Southend, free
Steffen Iverson, Rosenborg to Palace, free
Paul Keegan, Bohemians to Doncaster, free
Lubo Michalik, Leeds to Carlisle, free
Eddie Nolan, Preston to Scunthorpe, free
Zac Thompson, Everton to Leeds, free
Petter Vaagan Moen, Brann to QPR, free
John Akinde, Bristol City to Dagenham, loan
Marcus Bent, Birmingham to Sheff Utd, loan
Jens Berthal Askou, Norwich to Millwall, loan
Cian Bolger, Leicester to Bristol Rovers, loan
Liam Cooper, Hull to Carlisle, loan
Mark Cullen, Hull to Bradford, loan
Ritchie De Lait, Man Utd to Portsmouth, loan
Liam Dickinson, Barnsley to Rochdale, loan
Nathan Ellington, Skoda Xanthi to Preston, loan
Corry Evans, Man Utd to Hull, loan
Ben Gordon, Chelsea to Scunthorpe, loan
Brad Guzan, Villa to Hull, loan
Ben Hamer, Reading to Exeter, loan
Oli Johnson, Norwich to Yeovil, loan
Julian Kelly, Reading to Lincoln, loan
Tom Kennedy, Leicester to Peterborough, loan
Kevin Kilbane, Hull to Huddersfield, loan
Matt Kilgallon, Sunderland to Doncaster, loan
Marc Laird, Millwall to Brentford, loan
Shane Lowry, Villa to Sheff Utd, loan
Vito Mannone, Arsenal to Hull, loan
Joe Mattock, West Brom to Sheff Utd, loan
George McCartney, Sunderland to Leeds, loan
Ben Mee, Man City to Leicester, loan
Danny Philliskirk, Chelsea to Sheff Utd, loan
Rowan Vine, QPR to Mk Dons, loan
Andreas Weimann, Villa to Watford, loan
Callum Wilson, Coventry to Kettering, loan
Yakubu, Everton to Leicester, loan