It looks like being another busy summer at QPR, who are again looking to revamp their squad ahead of the coming season.
With new-look scouting set-up led by Gary Penrice, Rangers have identified a number of possible targets and are hoping to offload some players in order to pave the way for more new signings.
Manager Ian Holloway is keen to bring in a striker and a midfielder, with Karl Henry having been released, Ben Gladwin possibly on his way to Blackburn, and Rangers expecting Ariel Borysiuk to move on. Barnsley’s Josh Scowen, who is out of contract, is top target.
Rangers are also looking to bring in a left winger and, interestingly, a left-sided centre-back. There were high hopes for Joel Lynch when he arrived from Huddersfield last summer but, largely because of niggling injuries, he was not the mainstay of the defence they thought he would be.
Although not employed by QPR at the time, Penrice initially made them aware of the potential availability of Luke Freeman, who was in the final year of his contract and was signed for a knockdown price in January after rejecting a new deal at Bristol City.
With clubs frequently facing the similar threat of losing players for no fee as the end of their contract draws closer, this is something Rangers are looking to exploit and a host of players in the final year of their current deal – and therefore potentially available for less than their true value – have been identified.
Signings of this nature tend to be made towards the end of transfer windows when clubs are forced to accept a player will not sign a new contract and time is running out to bank whatever money for him they can.
The versatility of players such as Matthew Rose, Marcus Bignot, Richard Edghill, Kevin Gallen and Martin Rowlands helped Holloway achieve success during his first spell as Rangers manager and this is something he is very much looking to replicate this time around.
Plus, with restrictions resulting from Financial Fair Play, the need for players who can operate in multiple positions is seen by the QPR management as even more important. It’s a top priority.
This post was last modified on 23/06/2017