Warnock not banking on Crouch return

Tottenham Hotspur forward Crouch ended his first spell at White Hart Lane by moving to the West London club as an untried 19-year-old back in 2000.

With Spurs boss Harry Redknapp reportedly seeking to freshen up his forward line, Crouch has been linked with a second exit from the North London side.

Several Premier League sides have been linked with the England international, including Stoke City, Sunderland and QPR, but Warnock doesn't believe a move for the 6ft 7in hit-man back to Shepherd's Bush is likely.

"If Crouchy wants to fit into the QPR wage structure, I'd welcome him with open arms," Warnock told the Fulham Chronicle. "But something tells me that isn't going to happen."

Yet Crouch has refused to rule out the possibility of a return to QPR, for whom he played 47 times during the 2000/01 season, scoring 12 goals.

"I've got a lot of affection for the club, and loved playing down there when I was young," the Spurs striker was reported to have said by Sky Sports. "I certainly wouldn't rule out ever playing for QPR again.

"They deserved to win the Championship but with the level in the Premier League they will have to buy a few players and hope some of those players who got them up adapt quickly.

"It's so difficult because every year the teams who come up are expected to go down. Hopefully they do it. They've got good resources and can hopefully add to the squad they've got."

Gary Parkinson is a freelance writer, editor, trainer, muso, singer, actor and coach. He spent 14 years at FourFourTwo as the Global Digital Editor and continues to regularly contribute to the magazine and website, including major features on Euro 96, Subbuteo, Robert Maxwell and the inside story of Liverpool's 1990 title win. He is also a Bolton Wanderers fan.