Joey Barton Leaves Newcastle United On A Free Transfer To QPR

After being frozen out, then welcomed back into the fold, Joey Barton has finally left Newcastle United on a free transfer. He joins relegation candidates Queens Park Rangers, with Neil Warnock excited about signing a player whom he wanted so sign in 2007.

Up until this morning, Barton didn’t want to leave Newcastle, but with no new contract offer forthcoming, and Barton’s contract running out in a years time, and Newcastle’s announcement that he was available for free meant even Barton understood that he was no longer wanted on Tyneside.

QPR are off to a bad start in their first year in the Premier League since their 1995-96 season. However, the takeover of the club by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes has been cause for some renewed optimism. Fernandes plans to run the club as a responsible business, but has won over fans by saying that he will reduce ticket prices and give manager Neil Warnock an initial £10 million transfer budget to strengthen his squad.

Though Adel Taarabt gives QPR plenty of creativity up top, they could seriously use a complete midfield player like Barton to play behind him. Despite the fact that Barton has been on or near the chopping block at Newcastle for quite some time, he’s opened the season with a couple of solid performances and will likely be a big loss as a footballer for Alan Pardew, even if he feels it’s necessary to get Barton and his antics out of his locker room.

This incident appears to have just as much to do with the management of Newcastle as it does with the temperament of Barton. Despite his history, he’s been in great form, so there’s no chance that a Premier League club doesn’t give him a shot to play top flight football if he’s available for free.