QPR debt rises

Queens Park Rangers' debt has risen from £56 million to £89 million, accounts covering the club's first season back in the Premier League reveal.



The QPR Holdings Limited data, which covers last season - Tony Fernandes' first as chairman - shows Rangers made a £22.6 million loss during the campaign, despite turnover increasing from £16 million to £64 million after promotion from the Championship.



The Loftus Road club have spent heavily since promotion to the top flight, with the sacked Mark Hughes and his successor Harry Redknapp bringing in a string of expensive players.



QPR's wage bill, which covers all club employees, rose from £26 million to £51 million after promotion.



Rangers spent £25 million on new faces last season and have spent a further £30 million more in the last two transfer windows, bringing in players including Christopher Samba and Loic Remy, meaning another hefty loss is likely in the next set of accounts.



Fernandes remains committed to establishing the west Londoners, currently bottom of the table and four points adrift of safety, in the top flight.



He has outlined plans to build a new and larger stadium to replace Loftus Road, and Rangers have reportedly narrowed their search down to two sites.



"When, alongside my business partners, I purchased a majority shareholding in August 2011, my goal was to turn QPR into an established Premier League club," Fernandes said.



"This remains my focus, and I continue to work closely with Amit Bhatia and other shareholders to make this a reality.



Under the guidance of our new manager Harry Redknapp, we are hopeful that the club will secure their Premier League status.



"We are confident that the 2012-13 season will also see the club continue to make progress towards achieving their short, medium and long-term off-pitch targets."

Fabio da Silva admits to mixed emotions

Fabio has revealed that he almost celebrated his brother Rafael's goal for Manchester United in the 2-0 victory over QPR on Saturday.



The left-back is currently on loan at Loftus Road from the Red Devils so was ineligible to face his parent club, and had to hold back the urge to cheer his twin’s arrowed finish past Julio Cesar as he was sat next to QPR owner Tony Fernandes.



Fabio told Globoesporte: "I was pleased to see my brother score a goal like that. Naturally I wanted to celebrate. But I was sat next to the QPR president!"



"I told him afterwards: 'You never score goals like that! You had to do it against my team!" But I was happy for him.



"I've grown a lot this season. We've both matured. He's flying [for Manchester United] and I'm playing more. The change has been good for us."



Meanwhile, Rafael has admitted he was finding it difficult being separated from his brother for the first time since their arrival in England in 2008, but insisted the pair were coping with the change.



"Fabio moving to London was the first time we were really separated," Rafael added. "We never spent a year apart. But we're coping.



"At the time of the game, [you] forget it all, forget that on the opposite team is your sibling. We are professional and have to play to win. Because Manchester is fighting to be champions and we want to win every game.



"I'm happy that we won today and got a little closer to the title."

Anzhi director says QPR were 'out of their minds' to splash out on Samba

Harry Redknapp and gambles in the transfer market goes hand in glove, but even by his standards the package to take Chris Samba to Loftus Road was risky.



While most people were scratching their heads that the club would pay £12.5 million and offer £100,000 a week over four and a half years for the former Blackburn centre-half, it seems Anzi Makhachkala themselves couldn’t get over the offer made for their Congolese defender.



Director of the big-spending Russian club German Tkachenko said that the club wept – in a good way – when the offer came in and think that the London club were out of their minds to pay such sums in order to get the defender.



“At QPR he will earn almost as much as he did at Anzhi. In my view QPR have lost their minds,” he told Russian media.



“When they agreed to pay his release fee we wept. He [Samba] wept. Everybody says that he ran away from the club, but that's not true. He didn't put any pressure on the club until we received an offer from QPR for £12.5m, the amount required by his contract,” he added.



He did suggest that Samba is also one of the top five defenders in Europe, but maybe he sees qualities most others don’t.



Seven points adrift of safety, Samba will need to tighten up a porous defence very quickly or we will soon be looking at perhaps the highest earning player ever to feature in the Championship.

QPR sign France striker Remy

QPR have completed the signing of France striker Loic Remy from Marseille for an undisclosed club-record fee on a four-and-a-half year deal.



The 26-year-old has penned a contract until summer 2017 at Loftus Road after choosing the Barclays Premier League basement boys over Newcastle.



Hoops boss Harry Redknapp told QPR's official website: "I'm delighted to bring him in - he's a great buy for us."



The official fee for the 26-year-old has not been disclosed, but it is reported to be in the region of £8million.



Redknapp added: "I didn't think we'd get him to be honest but (chairman) Tony Fernandes worked ever so hard on this. He wouldn't give up on it, and it's great that we now have him here with us.



"He's always been a player I've admired. I've watched him on so many occasions throughout the last few years. I actually spent three or four hours with him last year so he knew what I thought of him, and I think that was important.



"He's quick, can score goals and makes great runs. His movement is excellent. He's got the potential to be a really outstanding striker."



Remy, who has four goals in 17 caps for France, is eligible to make his Rangers debut against West Ham Saturday, subject to receiving international clearance.



He said: "Harry played a big part in me coming here. I spoke to him and Tony Fernandes at length and they made it clear they wanted me here. They gave me the right motivation to join QPR.



"I want to develop my game here. This season the objective is to stay up but beyond that we have greater objectives.



"After seven years in France, this is the right time for me to pursue a new challenge in the Premier League - the best League in the world.



"I am confident I can adapt to the Premier League. My main characteristics have taken me to the level I am at today but I am keen to keep improving in the Premier League."

QPR sign Ben Haim on short-term deal

QPR manager Harry Redknapp has confirmed the signing of defender Tal Ben Haim on a short-term contract until the end of the season.



The Isreali international has been a free agent since leaving Portsmouth in August 2012 and joins in time to face West Brom in the FA Cup on Saturday.



The 30-year-old has been training with the R's for the past six weeks and Redknapp believes his experience will help them avoid relegation.



“Tal’s a great professional with vast experience and I’m confident he’ll be a really useful addition to the squad,” Redknapp told www.qpr.co.uk.



“His attitude is first class and the fact he can play anywhere across the back four is obviously a big bonus for us.



“He just wants to play. He’s not here for the money or anything like that. He just wants to come in and do his best for the club.”

Redknapp: I was offered Sneijder

Inter Milan star Wesley Sneijder has been offered by an agent to relegation-haunted QPR, according to their manager Harry Redknapp.



The 28-year-old Holland international has been linked with a host of Barclays Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool, as the Italian giants look to get him off their wage bill.



Redknapp told The Sun: "I was asked by one agent if I wanted to sign Sneijder. Of course I do. However, he's on about £200,000 a week and now he wants to join QPR? I won't name the agent, but let's just say I think a deal is unlikely."



Inter have asked Sneijder to take a pay cut if he wants to stay at the club, something he has not agreed to do.