Queens Park Rangers are still vying for survival in the Championship but the club’s recruitment department have not stopped preparing for the summer transfer window.
The London outfit are currently sitting just one point above the relegation zone having suffered merely a single defeat in six league outings. However, Loftus Road hosts Birmingham City this Friday in what could be a season-defining result for both sides.
The Blues are sitting one place below QPR in England’s second tier and are level on points with the relegation zone. The fixture in two days’ time will be Gary Rowett’s first in the dugout of his second stint with Birmingham, having been named as interim manager until the end of the season.
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Both teams cannot afford to drop points on Friday under the lights. A draw won’t change much with regard to their standing in the table but three points would certainly prove valuable in the race to stay in the league next season.
For Queens Park Rangers, relegation may prove disastrous. The West London club have suffered losses of £20 million or more over the past three years. Over the course of the 2022/23 season, the former Premier League side were bleeding £411,000 per week on average. Dropping to the division below certainly won’t help seal any deep wounds.
On this week’s Stick To Football Podcast with Gary Neville, QPR’s former director of football Les Ferdinand revealed how the club shifted their transfer approach to signing young players and free agents while aiming to survive in the Championship. This policy has seemingly been left untouched after his departure.
According to a report from Dan Marsh of The Mirror, Rangers are keeping tabs on Chippenham Town’s 18-year-old defender Dan Ellison. The journalist is claiming that the Bluebirds are holding out for £10,000 for the centre-back but want to include a 20% sell-on clause in the deal.
That’s a bargain for a player of his talent pic.twitter.com/OViMNkO4pO
— Christopher Coles (@PtsColes) March 26, 2024
Furthermore, the League One trio of Blackpool, Leyton Orient and Reading are also admirers of Ellison, although the latter won’t be able to complete a deal as the club have been placed under a transfer embargo once more.
Writer’s View
Chippenham Town clearly feel as though Ellison has what it takes to reach a very high level in English football, hence why the non-league side are looking for a 20% sell-on clause which will open the door for a large cash boost in the near future should he fulfil his potential.
Given the majority of the teams interested in signing the teenager are from League One, Queens Park Rangers will have a major edge over other suitors provided Marti Cifuentes’ side are not relegated down to the third tier.
Deputy Head of Writing
