Stephane Mbia has risked the wrath of Queens Park Rangers (QPR) fans by appearing to plead with Joey Barton for a return to Marseille.

Stephane Mbia has risked the wrath of Queens Park Rangers (QPR) fans by appearing to plead with Joey Barton for a return to Marseille. The Cameroon midfielder faces the prospect of playing Championship football next season after the west London club were relegated from the top flight, according to the UK based online news site, dailymail.co.uk. And Mbia, who signed for QPR from the French club last August in a move that saw Barton join Marseille on loan, sent a tweet to the English bad boy saying: 'Do you want rechange your seat with me?' Barton, who helped keep his side in the Ligue 1 title race over the weekend, replied: 'If you go down with a team you should stay and help them up mate. They need to stick together and help them back.' Mbia, who cost Rangers £5million and earns around £50,000-a-week, has been a regular in the side this season but has proved frustratingly inconsistent. He later deleted his tweet before insisting it had been a joke. While the Loftus Road club will once again be led by Harry Redknapp next season, they are almost certain to offload some of their highest earning players over the summer. Having made a staggering 25 signings over the last two years, some on as much as £100,000-a-week, the club will be forced to slash their wage bill. Barton meanwhile could yet have a future at his parent club after owner Tony Fernandes claimed the 30-year-old's 'fighting spirit' was missing during the campaign. Fernandes said: 'Marseille have got to put an offer in. Joey is under contract and Joey would be a very useful player for Queens Park Rangers.