As Queens Park Rangers look to rebound from three successive relegation battles, the West London side have brought in new head coach Julien Stéphan. Momentum, or lack thereof, has been the QPR Achilles heel in recent times.
Rangers won just one of their opening sixteen matches, finding themselves rooted to the bottom of the Championship, before skyrocketing up towards the playoffs after accumulating twenty-eight out of a possible thirty-six. QPR plummeted again after this run, securing their Championship survival with just three matches to spare.
Under their new gaffer, signings were needed and have been promising thus far. Keeley Adamson and Jaylen Pearman have arrived from the Australian A-League, as well as Kwame Poku and Amadou Mbengue from League One outfits Peterborough and Reading, respectively.
However, we have identified five key areas in which QPR have to strengthen further as the London side endeavour to make a push under the table, particularly if Julien Stéphan wishes to implement his flexibility and philosophy at his new club.
Filip Thorvaldsen – Left Winger
Nationality: Norwegian
Age: 19
Current Club: Vålerenga
Contract Expiry: 2028
Having emerged from Vålerenga’s youth academy and established himself in the senior team after his debut aged seventeen, Filip Thorvaldsen would make an excellent addition to QPR. The young winger, capped by Norway at U17 level, is known for his electric pace and close control while dribbling and fits Rangers’ renewed ambition to sign young, high potential players. Head coach Julien Stéphan enjoys direct wingers capable of carrying the ball at pace in transition, making this a potentially perfect fit.
Although data is limited due to his relatively low number of senior appearances, it seems clear that Thorvaldsen has come of age in the Eliteserien so far this season, contributing three goal contributions in seven appearances in the early stages of the League season. An impressive 2.44 successful dribbles per 90 and a 41.9% dribble success rate thus far in Norway’s top division indicates real promise. https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1460786/filip-thorvaldsen)
Ilias Chair has been QPR’s main talisman for several seasons but a contrasting profile is needed to both change a game mid-match, and for tactical flexibility against different sides. It must be noted that Rangers boast wingers Emmerson Sutton and Daniel Bennie in their youth ranks, however Thorvaldsen provides more experience in senior football at a good level despite his tender age. Should QPR look to loan out the aforementioned youngsters already at the club, Filip Thorvaldsen would provide the alternative to Chair that Rangers may need.
Ben Mee – Centre Back
Nationality: English
Age: 35
Current Club: N/A
Queens Park Rangers are a side clearly begging for some experience, particularly at Championship level. Currently, just two of the club’s outfield players are aged thirty or over. In spite of the Superhoops’ focus on young talent, experience is invaluable for any side looking to progress in England’s second tier. Morgan Fox’s contract has expired with the West London outfit and so far, there has been no news about any extension.
Julien Stéphan’s track record suggests that playing three at the back on occasion is not out of the question, and Jake Clarke-Salter is currently the only left-footed central defender at the club. The former Chelsea man’s quality is unquestionable but is perennially injured, surpassing thirty appearances in a season just once.
Ben Mee, having recently departed local rivals Brentford, would fill the enormous void left behind in Clarke-Salter’s likely absence. The left-footed Mee is no stranger to playing in a back three and has made nearly 150 appearances at Championship level, with a further 277 Premier League outings. Considering that Mee is out of contract and vastly experienced, QPR could do worse than acquiring his services.
Conor Townsend – Left Back
Nationality: English
Age: 32
Current Club: Ipswich Town
Contract Expiry: 2026
The Dutch born Suriname international Kenneth Paal has left Queens Park Rangers this summer, leaving large gap in the side’s backline. Twenty-two-year-old, Ziyad Larkeche has returned from a successful loan at Dundee and is looking to cement his place in the team since signing a new contract just over a week ago, and Brazilian youngster, Esquerdinha has seriously impressed the Rangers faithful at youth level since joining from Fluminense having once been a supposed target for Barcelona. However, one can’t help but feel that these options are not enough for QPR.
Larkeche has played just 365 minutes at Championship level, and one might question the scalability of the Scottish League where he impressed in his thirty-nine outings. Esquerdinha is yet to make a senior appearance in England, hence why a more experienced option is needed.
Enter, Conor Townsend. The Ipswich man made just three Premier League appearances last season for the Tractor Boys after arriving from West Brom for a minimal fee and may be available on the cheap this summer. His quality is obvious, but Leif Davis is clearly Ipswich’s preferred option in the left back role, should he stay at Portman Road.
Out of contract at the end of the 25/26 season and having played over 150 times in the Championship, Townsend may be the answer to QPR’s short-term needs until Esquerdinha or Larkeche are deemed ready for Tuesday-Saturday football in the second tier.
Habib Keïta – Central Midfielder
Nationality: Malian
Age: 23
Current Club: Clermont Foot
Contract Expiry: 2027
This is no rogue shout. Habib Keïta has been linked with a move to W12 throughout the summer, although Stoke and Sunderland are also said to be interested looking at midfielder. Keïta puts up impressive numbers. 1.51 successful dribbles per 90 is quite excellent for a central midfielder, while his 6.01 recoveries per 90 and 0.8 possession wins in the attacking third per 90, place him in the top 20% and 10% for each metric, respectively. https://www.fotmob.com/en-GB/players/1245179/habib-keita. The interest is clearly not unwarranted.
QPR are desperate for a ball carrying 8 to play alongside Sam Field or the sought-after Jonathan Varane. Neither of their other first-team cental midfielders fit the profile either. Nicolas Madsen showed only flashes of quality in his debut season in West London, and nineteen-year-old Keiran Morgan impressed in his thirty Rangers appearances last campaign, but neither measure up to Keïta in the areas that QPR must look for. The pair rank among the worst in their position for successful dribbles. Admittedly, widespread interest in the Malian will drive up the price, but Habib Keïta should be high on the list of potential targets.
Luka Jovanovic – Striker
Nationality: Australian
Age: 20
Current Club: Adelaide United
Contract Expiry: 2026
It seems only a matter of time that young Australian centre-forward Luka Jovanovic makes the switch to English football, following in the footsteps of many of his compatriots. (https://lowertiers.co.uk/efl-championship-australian-a-league-talent)
Michael Frey finished as QPR’s top scorer last season with eight goals in a season curtailed by fitness and injury issues. Žan Celar, brought in last summer as the reigning Swiss Super League top scorer, failed to impress during his debut season in England, scoring just twice in nineteen appearances before missing out on the rest of the season owing to a hamstring injury picked up in December. Rayan Kolli also played up front for the Rs, but also faced injury on occasion. Kolli found the back of the net four times in his twenty appearances, starting nine, however it remains unclear where on the pitch he is most effective. The twenty-year-old Algerian U20 international has also played on the wing for QPR and could yet develop into a strong wide presence.
The club’s other striker, League One’s top scorer Charlie Kelman, looks likely to leave West London this summer following a loan at Leyton Orient. QPR might look to replace him with youth, as Frey will turn thirty-one this summer and looks likely to leave at the end of the 25/26 campaign.
Luka Jovanovic has become a sensation for Adelaide United since emerging from their youth academy. Scoring four goals in twenty-seven appearances, with only seven starts, Jovanovic averaged an impressive 0.52 goals per 90. The young Aussie finished as his nation’s top scorer as they won the U20 Asian Cup, playing alongside current QPR youngsters Daniel Bennie and Jaylen Pearman.
Written by Amar Topan (@W12Amar on X)
