- Jan 14, 2004
- 15,105
- 9,122
- Staff
- #1
According to the Daily Star Jermaine is a £4m target for QPR. Sounds plausible even if the source is poor and there are no quotes.
QPR are lining up £4m Jermaine Jenas to replace shamed skipper Joey Barton.
Barton was hit with a 12-game ban by the FA on Wednesday after his red card disgrace at Manchester City.
The controversial midfielder will now miss the first three months of the next campaign.
With QPR looking into sacking Barton, boss Mark Hughes is ready to make a move for the Tottenham midfielder.
Jenas, 29, signed a one-year extension to his Spurs deal in March, tying him to the club until 2014.
But he has fallen down the White Hart Lane pecking order and is currently without a squad number.
Jenas was loaned out to Aston Villa for the season last summer.
But he had an injury-hit nightmare spell at Villa Park and returned to Spurs after rupturing his Achilles in December.
When he regains fitness, Jenas faces a huge fight for regular first-team football at Spurs, something Sparky will be able to offer.
Manchester City hardman Nigel de Jong, who Hughes signed when he was in charge at the Etihad Stadium, is another midfielder on his list of potential Barton replacements.
Barton was handed separate four-game bans for elbowing Carlos Tevez, kicking Sergio Aguero and trying to headbutt Vincent Kompany in Rangers’ 3-2 final-day defeat.
Rangers owner Tony Fernandes and Hughes are due to meet to discuss Barton’s future next week.
Coach Marc Bircham reckons Barton could be loaned out next season to a foreign club.
Bircham said: “When they first come back, the gaffer will sit down with Joey and probably the owners.
“After the internal investigation, they will sit down and see where they are going.
“You never know, you can get loaned out abroad to get games under your belt. That is maybe an option the club might look to.”
Hughes is also ready to reignite his interest in £5m Birmingham keeper Ben Foster, with Paddy Kenny expected to leave in the summer for Leeds.
The former England man had an excellent season on loan at West Brom.