QPR defender Leon Balogun has opened up on his Rangers exit as he admitted he was gutted to leave Ibrox - and sporting director Ross Wilson did attempt to keep him.
The Nigerian international was sold on a move to the English Championship in the summer by his former colleague at Ibrox but he's now watched Michael Beale leave London to take on the number one job in Govan. Debate has swirled over how different it will be for Steven Gerrard's assistant and speculation has ramped up that Balogun could come back to Ibrox with his former boss.
Speaking to the Beautiful Game podcast, Balogun admitted he didn't want to walk away from the Scottish Premiership : "For me it was a sad departure from Rangers. I loved the club and I really got infected by the Blue Fever, and that’ll be for life. It’s not that I regret being at QPR now but it was a heartbreak for me to leave Rangers. It was because I did not leave Rangers, I was released. That’s the fair way to put it. And I did not really expect it. At one point down the line I got prepared for it, but I still not expect it.
“We were talking about a new contract but I didn’t ever receive an offer and it was just conversations really. I asked my agent around March what was going on because my contract was coming to an end.
“I told him it was clear I wanted to stay as I had found my football home there. That’s what Disco, one of the masseuses, used to say ‘you have found home here,’ and that hit home for me because I never thought about it like that.
“But he was right. We were busy with games at the time and then there was a meeting for them to decide. They were talking about the legalities about the contract and what they thought it could look like.
“It was pretty much about agreeing a base, a foundation of how we were going to carry on from there. But to me it felt like a drag. At the end of the day, we sent them an offer a few days before my contract ended.
“We didn’t hear anything back from them and then on May 31 I got a call from my agent to say they weren’t going to do it. From what I’ve been told, the manager was not too sure about it and that the Sporting Director Ross Wilson tried to convince him. Then they had him on board but then it was a constant back and forth, back and fourth.
“At one point I thought it was going to go quite quickly because they told me ‘we want to keep you and we will find a solution blah blah blah. But then on the final day they said, ‘no, we can’t come to a conclusion and we think it’s better, if we can’t come to a 100 percent decision, that we let things end the way they are.’ It was a tough one to take, really."
Balogun also spoke in glowing terms of Alfredo Morelos as he approaches his contract expiry at Rangers. He insists the Colombian is working harder than ever before, coming after being dropped in the summer for attitude and fitness concerns.
He added: "I think Buff is a monumental figure there. He's loved by the fans and keeping him on, giving him a new deal, would be a big sign for the club to keep one of their key players.
"He's probably not up and running 100% as he came back from a big injury and they say you need the same time to get back up to speed.
"With Antonio Colak in there now, it doesn't make it easier as he is scoring for fun. From what I have seen, I have seen him work harder than ever before, doing extras outside the training ground.
"It would be massive to keep onboard. He's special, funny, he's different. He's maybe not your perfect example for everything but he's got a good heart and you know he'll fight for you. You need to know how to handle him.
"He might not put importance onto certain things like we do but that doesn't mean he doesn't take it seriously. You need to give him a bit of space for him to be at his best.
"It's about giving him a bit of liberty without letting him turn into a loose cannon. Everyone has seen what he can give you."
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