Harry Redknapp, the Queens Park Rangers manager has insisted strongly that former Celtic striker Gary Hooper wanted a summer move to the Loftus Road club from the Scottish giants but a lack of urgency on the club’s behalf saw Premier League side Norwich City swoop for the player and grab him from under their noses and completed a swift deal for the player.

The Rs had an offer for the England striker accepted by the club earlier in the week and Norwich had their own offer accepted soon after. Hooper spoke to both the clubs and the managers and in the end, opted to sign a four year contract with the Canaries admitting that the chance to play in the Premier League was too much of a lure compared to the Championship where Queens Park Rangers will be playing this term.

And speaking to a local media outlet, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss stated that there is no reason to hang about it. He added that he could easily write a book about the players he has signed and lost over the years, before going on to state that all in all, this a part of football. Redknapp also stated that deals have to be completed quickly with other clubs also hanging around and this one dragged on for about two and a half months.

Redknapp mentioned that it was miles long and it should have been done, but insisted that is how things happen and insisted that they must learn from the experience and admitted that Queens Park Rangers cannot afford to make that same mistake once again.

He admitted that the player really wanted to make the switch to Loftus Road and it doesn’t matter what anybody else says because that is how things were but in the end, it just fell apart.