QPR begin the Championship season against Preston North End this weekend.placeholder image
QPR begin the Championship season against Preston North End this weekend. | Getty Images
Julien Stephan takes charge of his first competitive match as QPR boss against Preston North End this weekend.
Julien Stephan is now in charge at Loftus Road and has had a busy few weeks of pre-season preparations ahead of the Championship opener this weekend. The R’s welcome Paul Heckingbottom’s Preston North End to Loftus Road to kickstart their campaign.
There have been some important coups in the transfer window thus far. Kwame Poku from Peterborough United and Amadou Mbengue from Reading look particularly exciting with Kealey Adamson and Rumarn Burrell also through the door.
QPR lack left back cover ahead of Preston North End
However, there is one position of concern ahead of taking on Preston North End and that’s at left back. Kenneth Paal left QPR as a free agent early in the summer and Harrison Ashby returned to Newcastle United following his loan.
In the past week, it’s also been confirmed that the versatile Morgan Fox has also left Loftus Road for Wigan Athletic. Ziyad Larkeche looks set to fill that role having returned from his loan at Dundee, but it’s perhaps an unconvincing option given he was deemed surplus to requirements last season.
It’s a cause for concern with Preston North End dangerous on the right flank. Odeluga Offiah and Thierry Small have both joined Preston North End from Brighton and Charlton Athletic respectively and look to be combining well on that flank.
Heckingbottom said: “They look lively but I still think they need to be better. They can't be as loose as what they are when they play together.
“You see the chances they create, they can run and they'll be a handful whoever they play against so when you get these new players in, whether it's Thierry on the right or with Odel, Andy on the left, those at the top end of the pitch, you want them to form those relationships and understand how each of the players play as quickly as possible.”
QPR should consider West Ham loan swoop
QPR should perhaps look to enquire about the availability of West Ham full-back Ollie Scarles ahead of the beginning of the Championship season. The 19-year-old was handed regular first team minutes by Graham Potter at the London Stadium and impressed.
The Hammers manager praised the ‘outstanding’ teenager after one outing against Arsenal. He said: “I need more than a word. Amazing. That’s some performance.
“He’s been really, really good since we’ve come in. It’s a big thank-you to the academy, because that type of player is [rare]. And person as well - he’s a really good character. Obviously I’m saying a lot now but I need to calm it down because he’s still young and has a lot to do. “But he’s got the temperament to be really […] There’s a lot to look forward to.”
West Ham have added El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters to their squad this summer, which is set to push Scarles down the pecking order. The defender hasn’t been readily linked with a move away but it is surely something the Premier League club are considering given his young age and potential for development.
Scarles looks to have the attributes to impress in the Championship and a move to QPR would mean he doesn’t have to uproot his life in London. Given the lack of competition, he’d be sure to see regular minutes and the R’s wouldn’t have to cough up a transfer fee.
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