• Premier League

QPR chairman rejects Barton exit talk

ESPNsoccernet staff
January 15, 2012
Joey Barton has retained the QPR captaincy under new manager Mark Hughes © PA Photos
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QPR chairman Tony Fernandes and chief executive Philip Beard have both confirmed club captain Joey Barton will not be going anywhere amid speculation that the midfielder is not in the long-term plans of new manager Mark Hughes.

Barton, 29, arrived at Loftus Road from Newcastle at the end of the summer transfer window but has tasted victory just three times in 16 games as an R's player as the team has slumped into the Premier League relegation zone.

The appointment of Hughes as Neil Warnock's replacement in the managerial hotseat is expected to usher in a new era of big spending for QPR and there has been a suggestion that Barton - who has retained the captaincy for now - is not part of the Welshman's bigger picture.

But Beard, who helped bring Hughes to the club, said he was "flabbergasted" to hear such reports about Barton's future.

"I can categorically tell you there's been no discussions in the time I've spent with Mark or his team this week about anyone leaving," Beard told BBC Sport.

"[Barton] is the captain, he came in the summer and is part of the building work we want to do. He has been fantastic in my six months at the club.

"We are not a selling club. We're in the market to buy one or two players. We're talking to several clubs about options, so I'm cautiously optimistic that we can strengthen the squad."

Fernandes commented on Sky Sports News: "It is complete rubbish. I am fairly new to being a chairman [but] I have seen some crazy things and this would rank as one of the crazier ones I have seen."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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