How much could QPR earn from the Ebere Eze deal?
Crystal Palace star and FA Cup winner Ebere Eze is set to join Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth up to £60 million, including £5 million in add ons. The England international made his name at Queens Park Rangers in the Championship, providing 32 goals and assists in 102 league appearances for the Rs.
Eze joined Crystal Palace in the summer of 2020, in a deal worth close to £20 million and with the inclusion of a sell on clause for QPR.
There has been much speculation and confusion over the sell on percentage negotiated by former QPR Director of Football Les Ferdinand, although it is now understood to be worth 15% of the profit made by Crystal Palace. While this is a far cry from the 20% of total fee that many Rangers fans may have previously thought, QPR are still set to earn around £5.25 million plus a percentage of the add ons. This cash influx is said to be spread over four years. This income is vital for the West London side as they seek to minimise their debts and push towards self-sustainability.
Christian Nourry, the Superhoops’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was quoted as saying that “If Eze does depart then it is a massive success… but if we are serious about being a self- sustainable football club then our response can’t be to money coming in: how can we immediately send that out the door” during QPR’s 2025 Fans’ Forum in July, whilst also making reference to the financial losses QPR incur on a monthly basis.
According to Swiss Ramble, the club faced a pre- tax loss of £13.5 million in the 2023/24 campaign, the most recent available financial data. This was down from £20.3 million in the 2022/23 season. What must be noted is that QPR made just £2.2 million in player sales in the 2023/24 financial year, less than half of what the club is set to earn from Eze’s transfer to Tottenham over four years.
The same article also claims that QPR sit roughly mid- table for losses in England’s Second Tier, and the club’s renewed focus on keeping costs to a minimum has resulted in one of the Championship’s smallest wage budgets.
Perhaps the most important consequence of Ebere Eze’s initial sale to Crystal Palace and procurement of a sell on clause, is that QPR have restructured the club’s entire model in the aim of ensuring future sales in a similar vain. Since the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Paul Nardi remains the only player to have signed for the Loftus Road team over the age of 25.
QPR are hungry for more high-profile youngsters
In the words of Christian Nourry at the aforementioned Fans’ Forum: “Our focus is really about fine tuning that process [of signing younger players], finding the best talent we can attract in terms of where the club is at and their pure ability, and having the best coaching and performance staff in the building to help them maximise their potential.” The club have also brought in Julien Stéphan as their new Head Coach, who is renowned for his ability to coach and develop younger talent).
It seems clear that QPR have adjusted their focus towards cultivating an environment for young players, to boost the chances of future big sales that help the club financially, in a similar spirit to Ebere Eze. Even Paul Nardi has been ostracised from the first team in favour of a younger alternative after just a year at Loftus Road. In fact, QPR’s Carabao Cup defeat against Plymouth saw the club field its youngest squad ever, handing out eight senior debuts in the process..
The club’s improved finances has also meant that Rangers were able to splash the cash on the 2024/25 League One Player and Young Player of the Season, Richard Kone, in a deal worth up to £5 million, no doubt hoping that he can be sold on for a significant fee. Still, it must be asked how much this major philosophical shift could cost QPR in the short-term.
