Esteban Granero wants to help QPR bounce straight back up after going from Real Madrid to the Championship

 
Giuseppe Muro30 April 2013

Reading 0-0 QPR

Esteban Granero today told Queens Park Rangers he is willing to stay at Loftus Road as Harry Redknapp began plotting an immediate return to the Premier League for the club.

Redknapp met with chairman Tony Fernandes this morning to discuss the reconstruction of his squad following yesterday’s relegation to the Championship.

High on the agenda was deciding which players to keep for next season’s promotion bid, with Redknapp adamant QPR will not be forced to sell their prize assets.

Granero, a £9million signing from Real Madrid last summer, is one of the club’s highest earners and still has three years left on his deal.

The Spanish midfielder, 25, was one of the players discussed today and says he will play in the Championship next season if Redknapp wants him to stay.

“I signed my contract here for four years,” said Granero (above). “I was not thinking about going to the Championship when I joined but that is the reality now. I like life in London. We now prepare for life next season. The club will have to decide, not me.”

A number of players reportedly have relegation clauses in their contracts but Granero says there has been no talk about summer departures in the dressing room. He believes lessons need to be learned from QPR’s failings this season if they are to secure a quick return to the Premier League.

“Many things have happened during the season and we have not been able to get over them,” said Granero. “It is hard to analyse. It is not just one thing that has gone wrong. It is many things together.

“We hope we learn from that and next season we do it another way. It was difficult for us yesterday but let’s finish the season properly for the fans. They have been outstanding for us this season and we have felt them behind us from the beginning.”

Redknapp says he still has the appetite for a promotion campaign but knows bouncing straight back next season will not be easy.

Of the last nine teams to be relegated from the Premier League, only West Ham have come back up immediately and Redknapp said: “QPR have got no divine right to get promoted back up. It will be hard to get out of the Championship, have no doubt about that.

“We are not a superpower going into that division. You look there and you will see 14, 15, 16 big clubs that have won things over the years.

“There is a whole lorry load of them. It is very hard when you have been losing all year and you are expected to win every week.

“For us to get promoted we have to come back in pre-season and get super fit. The owners are good, so I would love to see them get back in the Premier League and build a team that will stay there next time.”

What's up for discussion

Redknapp’s future: Manager says he has the appetite for a promotion campaign in the Championship but the 66-year-old needs to give Tony Fernandes assurances that he will not walk away.

Transfer wish list: Club must target players for the promotion bid and restore harmony to a divided dressing room. Redknapp says QPR will not break the bank to get back up and he may look to the loan market after the success of Andros Townsend.

Players up for sale: Clearing out some of the big earners to reduce the hefty wage bill is a must. Loic Remy, Chris Samba and Julio Cesar have all been linked with moves but Redknapp insists QPR will not be forced to sell players they want to keep.

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