QPR should keep an eye on an ex-Nottingham Forest player who is currently a free agent:
Lyle Taylor is still available, and the R’s could attempt to bring him in to fix their forward situation.
Queens Park Rangers bolstered a number of positions during the summer transfer window, thanks to player sales that allowed them to bring in new players.
Gareth Ainsworth seems to need the summer to make his mark on the R’s roster because last season’s group required shaking up.
They may have been at the top of the Championship at the start of the season, but their inability to fight back until late in the season was a major concern, and it wasn’t due to a manager.
The R’s struggled in the latter stages of Mick Beale’s tenure, won one game in 12 under Neil Critchley, and just scraped by under current manager Ainsworth.
If anyone could bring them out of trouble, it was Ainsworth, who pulled off a stunning escape with Wycombe Wanderers on the penultimate day of the 2013/14 season.
He’s a superb man manager and a proven success from his time at Adams Park – but even he battled in the early stages of his stay at Loftus Road, and he’ll be grateful for the summer to change things.
Their opening-day loss to Watford was not ideal, but they have recovered quite well, and their recent away success against Middlesbrough could be a watershed moment for them.
Their transfer business has probably helped them to make a respectable (if not spectacular) start to the campaign, but they are lacking depth in one or two positions and it could come back to bite them. Looking at their forward department, they are in desperate need of more options, even if they only play one up top for the remainder of the campaign.
Lyndon Dykes could be a regular goalscorer this season, and Sinclair Armstrong is promising, but the latter is still inexperienced, and Charlie Kelman hasn’t played much football at this level; Ilias Chair and Chris Willock can also contribute in the final third; and they will be forced to use the free agent market from now until January, with the summer window closing.
Andre Gray is one player who has just become available, but Taylor, who was released by Nottingham Forest in the summer, could be a strong choice.
Having previously worked in the English capital, and with QPR still a second-tier club, you’d think the ex-Forest man would be open to the move, even if it meant accepting a relatively low wage.
He’s certainly keen to get back into the game after a long absence, and the R’s could present him with an opportunity.
He scored five goals in 14 league games for Blues, and if you extrapolate that across a season, he’s sure to score at least 15 times. That is the type of talisman QPR require alongside Dykes if they are to have any hope of returning to the second division.
Offering him a contract through the conclusion of the season makes sense, given he’s 33 now and there may be other options available next summer.
This short-term agreement could end up being beneficial to all sides.
