Sometimes when a club is truly desperate and in the mire of a relegation dogfight, they have to really strip away the dignity and simply plead for the signature of a player who might prove the difference. Rare is it to see a manager being as brutally honest as to describe his club as a 'stepping stone', but such was QPR's perilous position in the league, that Redknapp told Rennes midfield dynamo Yann M'Vila that were he to sign, 'in 18 months, he could get a move to Manchester United, or Arsenal, or Chelsea.' The Frenchman had already carved something of a 'bad boy' reputation in the game, so he would have fit right in with the likes of Adel Taarabt, Jose Bosingwa and Joey Barton at the club. A part of the Euro 2012 squad, he was serving a two-year ban from international duty following an unauthorised night out, when QPR came calling in January 2013. With Fulham and Everton also interested in the signature of the 22 year old, the Hoops acted quickly by tabling a £6.2 million bid. With Loic Remy passing a medical, Redknapp stated that a double signing was imminent, with personal terms having been agreed with the Rennes trouble-maker. Within a week, however, their hopes were dashed as he tied up a surprise move to Russian side Rubin Kazan.
''It was the money in the end, that was the key. He was up for coming here and it looked like we had him but they came in late and blew us out of the water with the money they offered him.'' - Harry Redknapp, January 2013.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
