QPR confirm return of Smyth on three-year deal
QPR have confirmed the return of Paul Smyth for a second spell at the club.
The Northern Ireland international forward, 25, left two years ago and signed for Leyton Orient, where his contract expires this summer.
Smyth has signed a three-year deal at Loftus Road.
He played a starring role in Orient’s promotion from League Two last season.
Smyth played under Rangers head coach Gareth Ainsworth while on loan at Wycombe during the 2019-2020 campaign.
He moved to west London from Linfield in the summer of 2017 and scored on his QPR debut the following New Year’s Day against Cardiff.
He showed promise during his early appearances for the R’s, but successive managers were unconvinced by him and he was unable to establish himself as a first-team regular at the club.
But Ainsworth rates him highly and Smyth is now set for another chance in the Championship.
Another former QPR player, Josh Scowen, is also highly regarded by Ainsworth, having had two spells under him at Wycombe.
However, Scowen, 30, signed a new one-year contract with the Chairboys in April.
10/07/2023 @ 8:47 am
Myke – my sentiments entirely, where ARE the starlets passing through the academy? still, we DO have a decent training complex to match the mini stadium..
28/06/2023 @ 12:25 am
I rated Smyth the first time around and felt he was let go prematurely. However, Willock or Chair he is not and it seems likely that one or both of these will be allowed to go on a cut price deal. If we were supposed to be following the model of buying cheap, developing a player and then selling for a healthy profit, then Willock should have been sold 18 mths ago. Yes there would have been a public outcry from fans who cannot see the bigger picture, but the 10-12 million we would have got for him would have put us in a far stronger position financially and this could have been reinvested wisely. It seems we learned nothing from the Manning/BOS transfer debacles.
On a brighter note getting Dykes to sign a new contract is a positive. I still expect him to be sold this summer but now we can hold out for a higher fee- albeit based more on his International exploits than club form.
Martin up top, Smyth on the wing, Scowen in mid-field to replace Field, Archer in for Dieng and Kakay at right back – what can possibly go wrong?