QPR confirmed the signing of teenage midfielder Chris Paul on Wednesday after he was released by Tottenham.
Paul, 18, trained with the R’s towards the end of last season and follows in the footsteps of other youngsters who – with varying degrees of success – have moved to Loftus Road after being unable to make the grade at Spurs.
Grant Hall
Signed from Spurs last summer, Hall was excellent in his first season at QPR. Brought in primarily as a squad player and one for the future, he ended up making 42 appearances and his impressive performances saw him named the supporters’ player of the year.
Danny Maddix
Hall would still need to go some to match the achievements of Maddix, who was unable to make the grade at Tottenham before joining QPR on a free transfer in 1987. He became a club stalwart during a 14-year spell at Loftus Road, where he became known as an expert man-marker, regularly snuffing out the best strikers in the county. Despite untimely injuries when at the peak of his powers, Maddix made more than 350 appearances for the R’s. His most impressive run came as part of a terrific three-man central defence alongside Paul Parker and Alan McDonald.
Peter Crouch
During his time as Tottenham manager, Gerry Francis was a huge admirer of Crouch, and duly signed him after returning for a second spell as QPR boss. The striker’s sole season at the club ended in relegation and with Rangers in administration, and Crouch, then 19, moved to Portsmouth. He scored 10 goals in a breakthrough season for a player who went on to make his mark in the Premier League and for England.
Steve Slade
Slade’s arrival in 1997 looked to be a brilliant signing by QPR. His electrifying performances for England Under-21s suggested he had terrific potential – and Tottenham’s decision to let him go was greeted with dismay by many of their fans at the time. But the striker’s four-year spell at Rangers was a major disappointment and he dropped out of the game after subsequent spells with lower-division and non-League clubs, where he also failed to make an impact.
Dave McEwen
McEwen also seemed a decent prospect when he arrived in west London in 2001. A number of the squad cobbled together during that traumatic summer for QPR went on to make their mark at the club, but former Dulwich Hamlet forward McEwen wasn’t one of them. Spurs’ decision to let him go was vindicated as he failed to score during his year with R’s, during which he managed just five appearances.
Freddy Champion
Born and raised in Shepherd’s Bush, midfielder Champion was on the books of QPR and Chelsea before eventually being snapped up by Tottenham. When they released him in 2011, Rangers picked him up and had high hopes for him. But Champion, who went to the same school as boxer George Groves, failed to last the distance – he was shown the door less than two years later.