QPR are aiming to tie up a loan deal for Chelsea's Dutch youth international full back Patrick van Aanholt. Elsewhere Andy Marshall's potential move to Loftus Road appears to have stalled.
Rangers have today been linked with a move for Chelsea left back Patrick van Aanholt. The 18 year old Dutch youth international signed for Chelsea from PSV Eindhoven and played against the R’s in a behind closed doors friendly on Tuesday giving the QPR coaching staff another chance to take a look at him. He has privately told friends on the Facebook site that he is expecting to discuss terms over a temporary move to QPR later this week.
Rangers decided last week not to offer a contract to former Liverpool full back Gregory Vignal leaving only the mysterious Gary Borrowdale and centre half Matt Connolly as their options at left full back. Van Aanholt is one of a number of options being considered by Rangers according to today’s Kilburn Times. QPR have established good links with Chelsea in recent seasons with Michael Mancienne, Scott Sinclair and Jimmy Smith all moving from Stamford Bridge on loan.
While van Aanholt may be coming to Rangers, goalkeeper Andy Marshall may not. He has spent the summer on trial with QPR and a one year deal was set to be signed today until an Premiership side started sniffing around. According to the Kilburn Times Marshall has the chance to move back into the top flight following the end of his contract at Coventry, albeit as a third choice. QPR are looking for alternative options in case Marshall decides to go elsewhere.
With the start of the season now just days away assistant manager John Gorman has been bullish about his side’s chances this year, despite the lack of an established striker being added to the QPR squad during the summer that was distinctly shot shy last season. Gorman told the Kilburn Times: “We feel we've already accomplished a team that's strong defensively and everyone keeps telling us we need more goals, but there are goals in this team from all over the place. Everyone's got to stop thinking it's only meant to be the forward players who score. We're expecting goals from midfield, from the wide players and we're hoping defenders will pop up from set plays as well. That's happened already in pre-season. Angelo Balanta's hit a few and Gavin Mahon's come up with a couple. I think that's what makes a good team, if they share goals around.
"We've got a very good opportunity. We've kept a number of players from last year and, while we've lost two or three, that's inevitable and it was ongoing anyway. Without a doubt, we want promotion, but at this stage every club has got those expectations. Even teams who just stayed up will be thinking 'this is our year'. We're hopeful of being one of the clubs that are up there. Even though things look dodgy at Newcastle at the moment, they're still a big club with good support and that'll help them along. Middlesbrough and West Brom have kept most of their players, Ipswich have a new manager and high expectations, Sheffield United nearly made it and they're always a strong team to play against. But I think there could be another team out of the pack that nobody would predict. Leicester, for instance, have been on a high - they might start well and be one of those teams that keep going, Sometimes you can start the season not so well, build gradually and finish on a real high and get promoted. But if you do start well, you have to maintain that the whole season.”
Defenders Peter Ramage and Matt Connolly are also looking forward to the start of the season. Ramage told the club’s official website: “I can't wait, I'm not the only one, everybody in that dressing room is raring to go. It's been a tough five to six weeks of pre-season but it's all been geared for this week and Saturday especially. Last season Blackpool came and shut up shop and got a point which was disappointing from our point of view and we are expecting a similar sort of game, but it's a game we feel we should win. But we feel we should win every game because that's the confidence the manger has instilled in us along with John and the rest of the staff.”
Connolly said: “The gaffer, when he played, was a passer of the ball and a great technical player so he wants us to do the same. In this division it's important to start from the back and set the tempo from there so I think we've all got to be confident and want the ball off Radek and take it from there. I think the first six games are very winnable and it's important to get off to a good start like we did last year and maintain that consistency. I think if you win all your game games you'll be up there and then just try to nick a few points away from home.”
Elsewhere in the Championship today West Brom have continued their pillage of lower league clubs with a bid for Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford. Having taken Roberto Martinez as manager from MK Dons the Baggies have already signed Simon Cox from Swindon and Reuben Reid from Rotherham. The farce at Newcastle continued with Joe Kinnear stating that he has been offered a two year deal to be their manager despite not wanting to return to football following heart surgery for the next three months. Sheffield United have strengthened their squad still further by signing Glen Little following his release by Portsmouth and Kyle Walker on loan after selling him to Tottenham in July. Doncaster have sold star man Matt Mills to Reading but brought in former Man Utd man Quinton Fortune. Preston have completed the signings of Paul Parry from Cardiff and Velice Shumulikoski from Ipswich.