QPR’s £40k p/w flop: Harry Redknapp made costly transfer decision | OneFootball

QPR signed Rio Ferdinand upon their return to the Premier League to bolster their defensive options

Having fired themselves back to the Premier League in dramatic fashion under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, with Bobby Zamora’s late strike in the play-off final against Derby County enough to secure a top-flight return, QPR were looking to cement their status back at the pinnacle of English football.

In their previous spell in the top flight, things didn’t go too well for QPR, as an expensive squad containing the likes of Christopher Samba, Julio Cesar, Jose Bosingwa, and Esteban Granero finished rock-bottom of the league, and though Redknapp was the man at the helm at the time of their relegation, he was entrusted with taking them straight back up, which he did in dramatic fashion.

This time around, the likes of Jordan Mutch, Sandro, Leroy Fer, and Steven Caulker were signed for big fees, and whilst they weren’t of the same age profile as numerous of their signings a couple of years prior, they weren’t exactly awe-inspiring.

However, Redknapp couldn’t help but bring in a former England star on a free transfer, who he had given his professional debut to nearly two decades ago, in a bid to add some much-needed Premier League experience to the R’s defence, in a move which ultimately proved to be a forgettable one.

QPR signed Rio Ferdinand at 35-years-old to strengthen their back line

With Redknapp looking to strengthen his side’s defence by any means necessary, he turned to former West Ham United, Leeds United, and Manchester United stalwart Rio Ferdinand to add a huge degree of experience to the R’s backline.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth boss handed Ferdinand his professional debut whilst the defender was still only 16 during their time together at West Ham, and just less than 20 years later, the pair were reunited once more at Loftus Road.

The 35-year-old had just been released by Man United after falling out of favour at Old Trafford, having made just 14 appearances the previous season, and signed a one-year deal in West London worth between reportedly £35k-£40k per week.

QPR already had the likes of Nedum Onuoha, Richard Dunne, Clint Hill, and the aforementioned Caulker in their ranks, but Ferdinand was clearly the biggest name of the bunch, and it was hoped that the 81-capped former England international could be the difference maker at the back.

Ferdinand started each of QPR’s first seven league games of the season, captaining the side on one occasion against Southampton, whilst only victorious on one occasion in a 1-0 victory at home to Sunderland. However, 15 goals conceded in that period was a clear indication that things at the back weren’t working as hoped, as Redknapp decided to drop Ferdinand from the side in favour of Dunne and Caulker in the heart of defence.

From there, Ferdinand would make just four more top-flight appearances for QPR, with Redknapp being dismissed in early February, effectively seeing the curtain fall on his career.

He’d taste victory just twice in QPR colours, both incidentally against Sunderland, as he’d make just 11 league appearances whilst in West London, seeing the R’s suffer a disappointing relegation to the Championship, finishing rock-bottom of the division.

Speaking on The Overlap Podcast, the defender later opened up on his regret signing for QPR, saying: “I wish I had finished my career at Manchester United, rather than moving to QPR because it was the first time I had been in a changing room where people were talking about money and wages.

“You’d hear murmurings of players talking about it, and I found it mad. We had players not wanting to train because they were on a certain amount of money, the intensity wasn’t that high, and for whatever Harry Redknapp was trying to do, the players weren’t buying into it, and that team ended up getting relegated.

“For me, I wanted one final season, playing in London, back home, my kids were of an age where they understood football a lot more, and then my wife got ill at the time, and that compounded everything.

“I was getting injuries before I joined QPR, but I did genuinely think that I would be fine and that I’d be able to get through it. I spoke with Harry Redknapp, who was QPR manager at the time, who said that he’d manage my minutes, that I didn’t need to train every day, and just make sure I was ready for every match, and I thought that I could do that easily, but that wasn’t the case.”

QPR stint was Rio Ferdinand’s last stop on an otherwise generational career

QPR would prove to be Ferdinand’s final club as a professional footballer before deciding to hang up the boots for good.

First breaking onto the scene as a youngster with West Ham, before joining Leeds United for a British transfer record, as well as becoming the world’s most expensive defender at £18 million, it was with Manchester United where he is best remembered by many.

Once again, his £30 million move to Old Trafford saw Ferdinand become the most expensive British footballer in history at the time and the world's most expensive defender for a second time, as he’d go on to make over 450 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils, cementing himself within the Premier League Hall of Fame and winning six Premier League titles, four Community Shields, three League Cups and one Champions League.

His time at QPR does not accurately reflect what he achieved during his career, and certainly doesn’t reflect on the player he is remembered for being, with his time in West London a brief and forgettable stint on his CV.