Blackburn Rovers striker Yakubu turned down QPR move in January

The Nigerian striker returns from a three-match ban today to face the west Londoners, but he could have been playing for rather than against them had a deal been agreed

11 Feb 2012 10:23:00

By Tom Marshall-Bailey

More On :  Blackburn Rovers, QPR, Aiyegbeni Yakubu
Yakubu
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Blackburn Rovers striker Yakubu has proved his commitment to the Lancashire side after claiming that he turned down a move to fellow Premier League strugglers Queen's Park Rangers in January.
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The now departed Neil Warnock was allegedly keen to sign the Nigerian to boost his forward options at Loftus Road with a swoop for the Premier League journeyman, but after Mark Hughes was appointed as Warnock's successor, the deal was scrapped.

Hughes instead opted to sign Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora for the R's and Rovers boss Steve Kean said that although there may have been some minor interest, no concrete offer was put to the club.

While this may have been the case, Yakubu insists that he didn't want to leave Blackburn, regardless of who came in for him, as still he has a point to prove.

“I decided not to go,” said the 29-year-old. “I said 'I don’t want to go, I want to stay here'. I chose to be here.

“I don’t want to move any more. I am happy here so I didn’t go.

“Blackburn gave me the opportunity to play in the Premier League again so for me to just go and want to leave, I don’t want to do that.

“I’m lucky to be here today, they gave me the opportunity to prove myself so why do I have to leave?

“I had made the decision I didn’t want to leave, I wanted to stay here and help the team stay in the Premier League.”

Yakubu is determined to get back on the goal trail and vindicate his decision to stay in Lancashire by scoring today against Hughes' new-look outfit, but he is also wary of the importance of paying back the fans after Rovers' dismal showing in a 7-1 defeat at Arsenal last weekend.

“It’s good to be back again,” he said.

“When you don’t play and you just watch, they are long days and long nights.

“It would be great to score again, but not just to score but to get the three points.

“The way we’ve been training, it was a bad week but hopefully we can turn it around on Saturday.

“I was there at Arsenal and I felt the same as the players who played. We are the same team, when we lose we lose together and we win together.

“It was a bad weekend but hopefully this weekend is going to be a good weekend for us.

“We have to give credit to the supporters, they have been really good in the last four games and we have to stick together. We need that against QPR.

“You have to give credit for them going all the way to London and we got beat by Arsenal by a big score."

Yakubu is under no illusions about the fact that this sort of game, the proverbial relegation six-pointer, is one his side must win at all costs.

“If we can make them smile in this game, that is the most important thing," he added. "To get the three points.

“It’s a big game for us, it doesn’t matter how we get the three points, we just have to win.”


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