QPR fans may have seen the last of striker Lyndon Dykes, as he closes in on a £1 million move to League One side Birmingham City, as reported by Adam Leventhal.
The 28-year-old Scotland international has played twice for the Hoops this season, scoring a late leveller from the bench ten days ago against Sheffield United, but that appears to be his swansong in a QPR shirt. After 35 league goals in 156 appearances, his exit was green-lighted two days ago by boss Marti Cifuentes, after being left out of the squad that drew with Plymouth Argyle.
It now looks as though Dykes, who withdrew from Scotland’s World Cup squad because of injury, is willing to drop out of the top two divisions for a move to Birmingham City. The Blues are outside the top two divisions for the first time in almost 30 years, but like Dykes, they don’t plan on that stay being any longer than a single season.
New: Lyndon Dykes • QPR to Birmingham. QPR accept £1m offer for striker from L1 club. Scotland international set to sign 3yr deal and go for medical today.
Details @TheAthleticFC
👉 https://t.co/ksVZDGhuZa pic.twitter.com/nliikhhIS8
— Adam Leventhal (@AdamLeventhal) August 27, 2024
They’re reported to be offering the Australia-born striker a three-year deal at St Andrews, with a fee of £1 million going to West London in exchange for his services. It’s believed his medical will take place today, with an announcement expected before the transfer window shuts this coming weekend.
Dykes, whose sister Hollie was a gold medal-winning gymnast for Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, scored seven goals from 43 outings for QPR last season, but ten of those appearances came from the bench. He will now form a part of the Blues revolution, which fans hope will see them spend just a single season outside the top two divisions, as they did back in the 1994/95 season when they did the ‘double’ of winning League One and the EFL Trophy.
Should the transfer go through, he will join a collection of impressive new recruits at St Andrews, including Ryan Allsop, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Alfie May, Emil Hansson, Alex Cochrane, Willum Thor Willumsson, Christoph Klarer, Marc Leonard and Ayumu Yokoyama. They’ve become accustomed to life in the divisions quickly, winning two and drawing one of their opening three matches.
Writer’s View
This is yet another example of the Blues being too big for the division. Their transfer business has already been ridiculous, and adding a £1 million striker when you’re already strong is a reflection of where they are. They’re a Championship club in League One, and there’s no doubt about that, especially not to the other 23 clubs, who simply cannot compete financially.
Dykes should do well in League One, but he isn’t the cheat code you might expect a £1 million striker to be. Look at the likes of Will Grigg, who have played higher, even at international level, and simply got sucked into the level. It’s a risky move for Dykes, because you’re only one bad season away from becoming a League One player, rather than a Championship player on a sabbatical.
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