Simon Walton’s time with QPR is coming to an end. The midfielder will sign a four year contract with Plymouth Argyle next week. Meanwhile it looks like Lee Cook won’t be the last of the new signings.
Walton can count himself very unfortunate during his time with QPR. He signed from Charlton this time last year for £250k and John Gregory expected him to anchor the midfield. Charlton had originally spent the best part of a million quid on him when he moved down from his boyhood club Leeds United and he looked like a very good buy for Rangers but he almost immediately suffered a broken leg in a friendly match against Fulham.
That injury ruled him out for six months and in the meantime QPR were taken over and signed Gavin Mahon and Mikele Leigertwood to do the job he’s been bought to do. With Martin Rowlands also excelling in the middle of midfield under Luigi De Canio Walton was used as a centre half on his return and despite winning man of the match plaudits in that position at Plymouth last season he didn’t start another game and spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Hull City.
When Iain Dowie, the man that bought him at Charlton, took over at QPR this summer Walton must have thought he’d finally get his chance to impress at Loftus Road however he is now set for the south coast in a move worth in the region of half a million pounds.
Plymouth have offered a four year contract to Walton and he left QPR’s Scottish training camp to discuss terms with Paul Sturrock last week. Iain Dowie was keen for the player to stay but couldn’t guarantee him first team football and Walton has therefore gone for the security option of the longer deal and a regular spot at Home Park. Walton was left out of the QPR matchday squad for the friendly with Chievo on Saturday and the move should be announced early next week once the midfielder has completed a medical.
Meanwhile a press conference is scheduled for Loftus Road tomorrow with “Flavio Briatore and a new signing” taking questions from the floor. It’s not clear who that signing will be as yet however if the rumour mill is to be believed then Real Madrid striker Daniel Parejo will be signing for the R’s on a season long loan.
All signs point to a deal being done with Sky Sports and other news agencies all saying the contract has already been signed but I still can’t quite believe it. Parejo is rated by Spanish legend di Stefano as the best prospect at Real and he scored for the Spanish giants against Hamburg in the Emirates cup yesterday. Real turned down a multi million pound offer from Arsenal for his services last January and it seems unlikely that such a player would be coming to QPR but everybody seems to be saying it’s a goer so watch this space as they say.
Discuss this story on the Message Board
Click here and be the first user to comment on this story