QPR players have lost faith in Rio and will welcome ban, report says

The Daily Mirror claim some QPR players will welcome Rio Ferdinand’s suspension as they believe the team is better off without him.

The former England defender, a substitute for Rangers’ last two matches, has been fined £25,000 and banned for three matches for comments he made on Twitter.

A number of his team-mates have lost faith in him and were relieved he was not recalled for the recent win against Aston Villa, the Mirror say.

Related West London Sport story: Clause means Rangers can ditch Rio

The Sun reports that Ferdinand, 35, was left stunned by the Football Association’s punishment.

Ferdinand has struggled since his move from Manchester United
Ferdinand has struggled since his move from Manchester United

Meanwhile, Chelsea are among the clubs chasing Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer, according to the Express.

The Blues and Tottenham are said to have joined Liverpool and Manchester United in a battle to sign the 23-year-old, who featured for Germany at this year’s World Cup.

Chelsea are also said to be keen to sign Barcelona’s former United defender Gerard Pique.

The Daily Star have picked up on a report on Spanish website Fichajes which claimed the Blues are considering offering £24m for the 27-year-old when the transfer window reopens in January.

Pique has therefore been touted as a possible long-term replacement for Chelsea captain John Terry, while United have been linked with a bid to re-sign him.

The Star have also linked Chelsea with Stephan Lichtsteine and say their supposed pursuit of the defender has been boosted because Juventus are lining up a replacement.

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