Not Manchester City but money-laden QPR, and the suggestions came from fans.
QPR supremo Tony Fernandes took fan-owner interaction to a new level on Friday.
He tweeted asking his 125,000 followers for suggestions for who the club should buy in January, adding that manager Neil Warnock would of course have the final say.
Of course opening himself up in the process to hardly sensible suggestions, plenty of tongue-in-cheek followers urged him to pursue the world’s greatest footballer Lionel Messi.
Tweeting fans for transfer targets is not new, managers in the lower leagues have tried this technique, Martin Allen for example, but this is the first time such a venture has been used by a Premier League club.
Is it just a gimmick by an owner who wants to be loved?
The results of the tweets back were fascinating, David Beckham was one common name. Fernandes has previously spoken of his desire to go after the footballing icon, but had appeared to have given up.
Other more realistic fans recommended out of favour Tottenham strikers Jermaine Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko. Either of these would be available to QPR at the right price.
Robert Huth, Michael Owen, Nicolas Anelka, Darron Gibson, and Jack Rodwell were all suggestions too.
Other fans called for signings from Championship clubs, Adam Lallana, Carlton Cole, Jay Rodriguez and Liam Ridgewell all named.
One ‘fan’ also recommended a £25 million swoop for Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey. That looks as likely as the Messi deal.
If any of the suggested players become targets, it is another matter, Fernandes is of course looking for positive PR.
But anything that helps fans feel involved in the day to day running of a Premier League club in these days of spiralling wages, high ticket prices and millionaire players should surely be lauded as a positive idea.
– Would you like to see your chairman ask you for transfer suggestions? What would your feedback be?
image: © Team Lotus
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