Barton released with Dunne and Zamora
Joey Barton is being released by QPR along with fellow out-of-contract players Bobby Zamora and Richard Dunne.
Rio Ferdinand, Shaun Wright-Phillips and goalkeeper Brian Murphy have also been told they are not being offered new deals. But contracts have been offered to Clint Hill and Alejandro Faurlin.
Karl Henry’s contract has also expired but he has an option enabling him to extend the deal by a further 12 months if he chooses to.
The end of Barton’s contract signals the end of his eventful four years as a QPR player.
The 32-year-old spent most of the 2012-13 campaign on loan at Marseille but returned to Rangers the following season and played a leading role in the club’s return to the Premier League. Dunne, 35, was also a key player in that promotion triumph.
Zamora, 34, largely failed to impress and was hampered by a hip condition following a £6m move from Fulham in January 2012.
He was due to be released last summer but became a hero by winning promotion for the club by scoring a last-minute winner against Derby in the play-off final and was duly handed a one-year contract.
Midfielder Faurlin, a hugely popular figure among R’s fans, recently returned to action after a third cruciate knee ligament injury in as many years.
The 28-year-old Argentine’s current deal expires this summer and the same applies to stalwart defender Hill, 36, who has indicated that he would like to stay for another year.
Meanwhile, midfielder Brandon Comley, 19, who recently made his first-team debut, had signed a two-year contract at Loftus Road.
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27/05/2015 @ 4:54 pm
Over the moon!
Happiest I’ve been as a QPR fan for several years.
NOT giving Barton a new contract is probably the best decision Fernandes has made since he became QPR chairman, Onwards & Upwards.
27/05/2015 @ 2:56 pm
‘eventual four years’ or ‘eventful four years’?