Football Season Guide

Having ended the previous season on such a high note, QPR fans went into 2024/25 campaign full of optimism under their new saviour Martí Cifuentes. Some were even dreaming of a return to the top flight after a decade in the Championship, but those heady ideas always seemed destined to fall flat. After what looked a decent initial start, Rangers ended up winning just once in their opening 16 Championship matches and were bottom of the table. The club kept faith with Cifuentes and they went on a run of just one defeat in 13 league games to turn around their fortunes. The Spanish coach couldn’t ever truly find consistency on the pitch and wasn't being given assurances off it. Rumours about his future were rampant long before QPR eventually secured their survival and placed him on “gardening leave” before the final game of the season. Cifuentes has now joined Leicester after their relegation from the Premier League and QPR have appointed Julien Stéphan as his replacement. The Frenchman guided Rennes to their first trophy in almost half a century and got them into the Champions League so he does have some pedigree, despite being unproven in English football. The new manager hasn’t suffered many major losses during his first transfer window yet. Exciting winger Koki Saito has gone back to his parent-club for now, whilst left-back Kenneth Paal and Jack Colback are the only other regular starters to depart so far. The club has invested in youth with Rumarn Burrell, Kwame Poku and Amadou Salif Mbengue all making the step up from League One. The new signings should provide depth to a squad that already has a fairly solid spine. Jimmy Dunne has been named captain after signing a new contract, taking over from fellow defender Steve Cook who remains at the club and has plenty of experience. Reliable midfielder Sam Field has also signed a new deal. Up front, much will depend on the fitness of star player Ilias Chair and last season’s top scorer Michael Frey. Both were injured for large parts of the previous campaign and Rangers often struggled for goals.