Kpekawa needed to leave QPR – Ferdinand

By

QPR: Les Ferdinand

Les Ferdinand believes Cole Kpekawa needed to leave QPR for the good of his career.

The 20-year-old defender joined Barnsley ahead of last week’s transfer deadline.

West London Sport had revealed that Barnsley had made an offer, later revealed that a fee had been agreed, and then revealed Kpekawa had been sold partly because of concerns over his condition and attitude.

And Rangers director of football Ferdinand has insisted that he and manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink tried hard to get the best out of Kpekawa before deciding to let him go.

“It was a difficult one as you don’t want to lose a talented youngster and Cole is a talent,” Ferdinand said.

“But he’d been at the club for a long time and sometimes the environment can become too comfortable for you and you don’t push on as an individual.

“As much as we tried – I’ve spoken to Cole more than any other player since I’ve been here, and the manager is the same – he wasn’t getting to the levels we needed him to get to.

“We didn’t want to lose Cole but in the interests of the club, and Cole himself as a footballer, we felt it was the right decision.”

Ferdinand also believes there are some comparisons to be drawn with his own playing career.

‘Big sell-on’

The former England striker, signed by QPR from Hayes in 1987, spent time on loan at Turkish club Besiktas prior to eventually establishing himself at Rangers.

“When I joined this club as a player, I had to go away for a year to find myself as a footballer,” he said.

“When I first joined here I was still very much involved in the environment I was in at the time.

“It wasn’t until I went to Turkey and was on my own with football to concentrate on – it was the making of me as a footballer.”

Ferdinand added: “Cole had a good loan spell at Leyton Orient last season and Jimmy wanted him to be part of our first-team squad.

“He was with us all the way through pre-season but he just couldn’t get to the levels we needed him to be at.

“I sincerely hope that he does come back and prove to be the player that we think he can be.

“We’ve done well in terms of what we’ve got for him and we’ve got a big sell-on.

“I hope that he goes on and has a good career for himself, because he’s certainly got the ability.

“It’s just that I didn’t think he was going to have it here at QPR.”

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook