Rejected by Portsmouth and now worth £1m - QPR splash out on ex-Fratton Park triallist and former Middlesbrough man
The Jamaican international featured twice in pre-season for the Blues under Danny Cowley
A former Pompey triallist has joined QPR in a £1m deal - three years after his Fratton Park snub.
Rumarn Burrell caught the eye of the Championship club after scoring 11 goals in 34 appearances for Burton last season, his first campaign with the League One club.
Indeed, having failed to net in his opening 12 matches, the striker finally opened his account on New Year’s Day against Peterborough and produced a remarkable goal spree during the second half of the campaign to keep the Brewers up.
That prompted Rangers to pay an undisclosed fee for the Jamaican international over the weekend, although BBC Derby Sport have claimed it exceeds £1m.
The 24-year-old's career is finally flourishing after initially struggling following his release from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022, including an unsuccessful Fratton Park trial.
Two Portsmouth pre-season outings
Then-head coach Danny Cowley brought in Burrell as one of five triallists for the return to pre-season training in June 2022 - and played him in two friendlies.
The ex-Grimsby attacker was among 11 players introduced at half-time in a 3-0 win at the Hawks, with goals arriving from Ryan Tunnicliffe, Liam Vincent and a Josh Passley own goal.
The following day, the Blues travelled to Gosport, where he appeared as a half-time substitute for Marcus Harness in a 1-0 defeat to the non-leaguers.
With Pompey heading to Murcia, in Spain, for a pre-season tour the next day, Burrell was among the triallists informed they would not be on the plane and their time at the club had ended.
That also included Christian Saydee - who a year later would be signed by John Mousinho - Levi Andoh, Andre Wisdom, Josh Oluwayemi and Josh Gould.
Although, in the case of Oluwayemi, he would link up with the squad upon their return from Spain and signed a permanent deal.
Cowley: I don’t think will be taking that any further at this point
At the time, Cowley explained the decisions to The News: ‘Levi and Rumarn had been with us the whole duration of pre-season.
‘We enjoyed having them with us, but I don’t think we will be taking that any further at this point.
‘Certainly with both players I was really impressed with their attitude and their application. I thought both had real athletic profiles, are good young players ,and we enjoyed having them with us.
‘Hopefully, it will set them up to have successful seasons.’
At that point, Burrell, who had previously featured for Middlesbrough as an 89th-minute substitute in an FA Cup clash at Brentford in January 2021, while also representing Bradford and Kilmarnock on loan.
The free agent eventually joined Scottish League One Falkirk in August 2022, when he scored 12 goals in 39 appearances, although just 14 were league starts.
Released on a free transfer after a season, he then linked up with Cove Rangers, again in League One in Scotland, where he blossomed, returning 24 goals in 42 outings in 2023-24.
That earned him a move back to England last summer, with a switch to Burton on a three-year deal and, 12 months later, he has now made a big-money move to QPR.
‘It’s a step up, but I am ready’
‘I feel having the experience and playing consistently has helped progress my game even further.
‘I figured out areas of my game and was hell-bent on improving and trying to be the best version of me.
‘I can stretch teams. I'm a relentless presser and I feel like with the head coach (Julien Stéphan) and his style of play, it really suits me.’