LEDESMA SIGNS
Saturday 28th June 2008
by Ron Norris

QPR yesterday completed the signing of Argentinean forward Emmanuel Jorge Ledesma on a one year loan deal from Italian side Genoa.  

We also have the option of making the move a permanent one at the end of the loan for a fee of around 2.3 million pounds.  

Iain Dowie told the official website that we had just secured the signing of an exciting young talent.  

"He's incredibly creative and has exceptional ability on the ball” he said. “He can play across the front line and has a great range of passing.” 

Ledesma could be one of many youngsters bought in from Italy in the near future as we look to exploit Flavio Briatore’s address book.  

Matteo Alberti has already made the move to West London and it is heavily rumoured that up to four other Serie A youngsters may be heading this way on loan. These include Inter Milan’s seventeen year old Mattia Destro and Fiorentina’s Samuel Di Carmine.  

With both of these also being forwards you do have to wonder how reliant we want to be on young Italian attackers and what is says about Dowie’s opinions on our current striking options.  

However with Briatore pushing for promotion it makes sense to make use of the loan market, particularly from abroad. Why sign up players on long term contracts when they may all need replacing in the next two years. 

Whilst Rangers’ seem to be stretching their tentacles around Europe the same cannot be said for our pursuit of English based players with much rumoured moves for Lee Cook and Bobby Zamora now seemingly floundering.