QPR Reject Bids for Cook, Blackstock & Rowlands - Paladini on Premiership Offers & Past Signings

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Ben Kosky/Kilburn Times
QPR have fended off Premiership bids for Lee Cook, Martin Rowlands and Dexter Blackstock since the transfer window opened, chairman Gianni Paladini has revealed.
Everton and Tottenham were both spurned in approaches for £10m-rated winger Cook, while Manchester City and Wigan were rebuffed in their attempts to sign Blackstock and Rowlands respectively. And Paladini reiterated: "It would have to be a stupid offer for us to sell Lee Cook - he is a major player and look how many of our goals come from his assists.
"If he was playing for a big club, he would be in the national squad - if someone gave me a choice between [Aaron] Lennon, [Shaun] Wright-Phillips or Cook, I'd choose Cook every single time.
"We've had various offers, but we've decided not to sell any of our best players - we want to give John Gregory the best chance of achieving our aims.
"Clubs like Luton and Leeds are selling players and bringing in a few million pounds but, if there's a shortfall, the board will have to come up with the money."
Rangers, though, are doing their best to improve their financial situation by offloading a number of squad players - with former captain Kevin Gallen the highest-profile departure so far this month.
Gallen became the first QPR player to link up with former Loftus Road boss Ian Holloway at Plymouth, joining the Pilgrims on loan until the end of the season, when his Rs contract expires.
Apart from an 18-month exile with Huddersfield and Barnsley, the 31-year-old striker had been a member of the Rangers squad since 1994 and was just three short of 100 goals for the club.
But Gallen is likely to be followed through the exit door by several other fringe players, including Australian midfielder Nick Ward, full-back Mauro Milanese and teenager Scott Donnelly.
If Ward departs - probably on loan to a club in Europe - it would mean that three of Rangers' five signings from last summer had left within six months.
Adam Czerkas and Egutu Oliseh have both had their contracts terminated in recent weeks, while a fourth summer arrival, Armel Tchakounte, is likely to be released without making a single first-team appearance.
Nigerian full-back Ugo Ukah has also left the club after playing just twice for the first team in 18 months.
Paladini admits he may need to take a more diligent approach towards prospective signings in future, saying: "It looks like some didn't work out - sometimes these things happen.
"I tried to help previous managers build a team that could challenge and it didn't happen. I think we have to be more careful in terms of looking at a player a little longer and deciding whether he can fit into our system.
"But the bottom line is that the manager decides - John knows the situation very well and he's working very hard to get it right. The reality is that we have to save money and we're talking to two or three more players about doing a deal with them to leave.
"The next month especially is going to be a dogfight but, as long as we can stay up, next season is an opportunity for a fresh start."
Midfielder Marc Bircham, whose contract runs out in the summer, has also been tipped for a January move, but the club have so far received no formal offers.
Kilburn Times