Football League World
·21 December 2024
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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·21 December 2024
The R's have picked up in recent weeks, and have pushed themselves away from any immediate threat of the relegation zone.
This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...
Queens Park Rangers have had a fantastic turnaround in recent weeks after a very difficult start to the season that saw them rooted to the bottom of the table.
The hierarchy at Loftus Road allowed Marti Cifuentes time to fix his side's form, and he has done fantastically. Wins over Cardiff City, Norwich City and Oxford United have pushed the West London club out of the relegation zone ahead of the festive period, and there is renewed hope of a strong second-half of the campaign.
With the January transfer window less than two weeks away, the Spaniard will be hoping to make improvements to his QPR team, and bringing in new talent will only help him in his fight against the drop.
Despite their new-found form, there will still be a desire to ensure that The R's are not caught in the relegation battle in 2025.
Bringing in more firepower up front is a huge need, with Zan Celar still struggling for consistency in front of goal, and cover in other positions will be a huge desire of Cifuentes.
Football League World has asked their QPR Fan Pundit, Louis Moir, what his perfect January transfer window looks like.
He told FLW: "I think a perfect window for us in January would obviously be keeping, you know, your big players like Jake Clarke-Salter and Ilias Chair, and other players like that, because when they come back from injury and hopefully stay fit, they're going to help us kick on even more. So, it's important keeping them and anyone who's important to us.
"Obviously, we know the key positions where we need to sign to improve the squad in terms of depth, which is obviously a left-back, a striker and one position that's probably not really being spoken about enough is out wide. Karamoko Dembélé has been out for quite a long time, Chair’s been out for a long time, and that's left us with Koki Saito and Paul Smyth playing every week.
"With Smyth, he's obviously useful, but if everyone was fit, he wouldn't be starting games, and Saito has been really good, but we need more in those wide areas in terms of depth and I think that's something that we'll still need come January, because of the likes of Dembele being out for so long and the lack of goal contributions from those areas."
Louis continued: "I think there's one player who could leave Middlesbrough, Isiah Jones, he could potentially be a really good shout for someone who would fit exactly what we need. He’s pacey, he plays out wide. I think we still lack a bit of pace, and he'd fit the bill. Every time we've played Middlesbrough, and we've come up against him, he's always been good, and he seems to have fallen down the pecking order. He’s a potential signing. I'd love to see it happen.
"He’d add so much and would arguably be starting games as well if he came in. I think we are lacking in that area. So, I think overall, it's about keeping key players, adding a left-back, a striker and to the wide positions. We need the squad to have a bit more in terms of depth, and then I think we'll be just fine."
Football League World exclusively revealed earlier in the week that Jones is looking to leave Middlesbrough in January after falling down the pecking order at the Riverside.
He has struggled for game-time since September, and with the emergence of Ben Doak on the right flank, it seems as though his time in the north-east is coming to an end.
Jones has not had the best season when he has been on the pitch, and he has made costly mistakes, including against Derby County, playing the ball straight to Kayden Jackson, who was able to run up to the other side of the pitch and score the only goal of the game.
However, in a new environment he could get back to his best, and as he is only 25, there is still plenty of time for the winger to develop and become a better player than he already is. QPR are on the up after a poor first few months, and he could become a star at Loftus Road.