Football
PA Sport 9y

Joey Barton and Rio Ferdinand among six released by QPR

Joey Barton, Rio Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora are among six players released by QPR following their relegation from the Premier League.

The trio, plus Richard Dunne, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Brian Murphy, have not been offered new deals and will depart when their contracts expire next month.

Barton, Dunne and Zamora played 24, 28 and 33 games respectively this season but Ferdinand, whose wife Rebecca died from cancer earlier this month, managed just 12 appearances after joining from Manchester United last summer. Wright-Phillips and Murphy struggled to be even bit-part players

On-loan quartet Mauricio Isla, Niko Kranjcar, Eduardo Vargas and Mauro Zarate have all returned to their parent clubs.

However, 36-year-old defender Clint Hill and Alejandro Faurlin, whose contracts are also due to expire, have been offered new deals to stay at Loftus Road this summer while midfielder Karl Henry has until June 30 to exercise his contractual option for a further year.

A statement from QPR read: "Clint Hill and Alejandro Faurlin will be offered new deals to stay at Loftus Road this summer.

"The duo, whose current contracts are due to expire at the end of June, are in preliminary discussions with the club about extending their stay in W12.

"In addition, [midfielder] Karl Henry has until June 30th to exercise his contractual option for a further year."

^ Back to Top ^