Queens Park Rangers are in big trouble if things do not begin to change rather quickly.
Unfortunately for the Hoops, it is looking like another season of hovering around the drop zone in the Championship, as opposed to looking up at the play-off places.
The pre-season feeling was quite optimistic, given Marti Cifuentes was going to be at the helm for his first full season in charge of the club, but now many QPR fans will be eating their words.
Cifuentes’ QPR side are currently bottom of the Championship, on a hugely disappointing 10 points by mid-November. They have managed to win just one game from their opening 15 in the league, and their fortunes need to change very quickly in order to avoid being down and out before the end of the season.
The Hoops were in a similar position at this stage last season, but managed to turn things around and climb out of the drop zone under Cifuentes, so they will be hoping that this season will be a repeat of that.
QPR’s biggest issue at present is a lack of threatening presence in front of goal. In their first 15 league games, they have only scored 12 goals, which is an issue that must be resolved as soon as possible.
January will be coming round quicker than expected, and that may provide them with the opportunity to sign a striker who can help them escape the drop zone.
Looking into the Premier League, and particularly Ipswich Town, would make sense, given a certain striker is struggling for game time at Portman Road.
QPR should keep an eye on Ali Al-Hamadi
Ali Al-Hamadi has enjoyed quite the rise over the last year or two. He made a name for himself at AFC Wimbledon in League Two, where he scored 27 goals across two campaigns in all competitions, which ultimately earned him a move to Ipswich Town who were battling for promotion from the Championship.
| Ali Al-Hamadi’s League Two stats for AFC Wimbledon, as per transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 2023/24 | 23 | 13 | 6 |
| 2022/23 | 19 | 10 | 1 |
He certainly played his part in Ipswich’s promotion in the second half of the season, as he contributed to five league goals in 13 appearances, which were mostly off the bench as a sub.
Now that Ipswich are in the Premier League, and have made a number of attacking signings, Al-Hamadi is naturally struggling for game time, and a loan deal in January would be very beneficial.
This is where QPR should swoop in. They are in desperate need of a striker at the moment, and must use the January transfer window to strengthen their attacking options.
Al-Hamadi has had a taste of Championship football, but may benefit from starting more regularly in order to find his shooting boots again. The one game that he started for Ipswich this season was in the EFL Cup, in which he scored against his former club, AFC Wimbledon, so he is still capable of finding the back of the net.
A loan deal to QPR would suit all parties as Al-Hamadi must look to develop his game by playing more football, and would get those opportunities in a struggling QPR side.
QPR’s problems in front of goal
At the start of the season, there was slight hope that they had found a goalscoring striker, as Michael Frey scored three goals in their first six league games, but he then went a few games without a goal before suffering an injury that has seen him spend weeks on the sidelines.
In his place is Zan Celar, who is practically the club’s only other senior striker. Celar has really struggled to meet the pace of the Championship and has failed to contribute to a single goal in his first 15 appearances for QPR.
Unfortunately, the Hoops have no option but to play Celar or play another player out of position in that number nine role. Even star man, Ilias Chair, is yet to find the back of the net this season, which is very out-of-character for such a talented player.
January can not come around quick enough for QPR, but they must use the window wisely. Taking Al-Hamadi into consideration would be a sensible move.
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