Ellerslie Echo

The Season Starts Here

Last summer was an interesting one. Lots of new exciting talent was brought in – some of which have worked out, some not so much, and some that missed a large chunk of the season through injury. More money was spent last summer on certain players than hindsight would have liked but you can’t get them all right. 

After a loose flirt with relegation followed by a managerial departure, this window was always going to be even more important. Not only building on last season’s squad, filling in the gaps where we looked weaker than others, but choosing the right man to take over from a manager who was held in such high regard that his name was heard ringing round the stadium when we sat bottom of the table. 

Of course there were loads of names floating about, but Julian Stephan was the man who got the job and I think most fans were happy with that. The first ever French manager of Queens Park Rangers was given a warm welcome and has been backed in the market more than any manager since Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink (I think), partly enabled by the Eze sell-on (who knew?!) and some very impressive business by the club, selling players like Sinclair Armstrong (last season) and Charlie Kelman who hadn’t renewed but brought in significant fees despite poor goal-scoring numbers. 

I’m going off of what I see on Transfermarkt for any info on transfer fees etc. so forgive me if they aren’t entirely accurate, I’m not massively interested in transfer fees as long as we are spending money we have and not repeating mistakes from the past. 

Without further ado, here’s a round-up of our summer transfer window going into the 2025/26 season, breaking it down into positions and rating each signing out of 10 if possible, though for some it’s too early to tell. 

Defenders:

As much of a drama that the position has caused so far this season, no new goalkeepers have been brought in. Murphy Cooper was loaned out to Barnsley and is already making a name for himself there, and is arguably better than both of the first team options we currently have.

Amadou Mbuenge – 8/10

The first signing of the Julian Stephan era was Amadou Mbuenge, one that there were a few whispers about, but not a high profile move. I’m sure Reading fans will be gutted to be losing such a huge dressing room figure on a free transfer, and I’m so glad we were quick to swoop in and get him.  

Looking at our current defence, he gets in easily. It has to be an Mbuenge and Morrison partnership every week, until – yes I’m going to say it – until Clarke-Salter is back. Mbuenge jumps for every header, though not always successful – watching his debut against Preston I did notice the timing of his jumps were often slightly off, and I could see him injuring either someone else or himself, or completely mistiming a header and giving away a goal. This happened against Charlton, when he let a pretty pathetic volley bounce over his head, but we’ll forgive him for that because he’s been class so far. 

Aside from his love for a tackle and a header, he also loves to drive forward with the ball. Confidence with the ball at your feet is always a bonus with centre-halves, and surprisingly rare at this level of professional football. 

What also makes Mbuenge such a positive signing is his influence on the team and his presence in the dressing room. Loved by Reading fans, he’s already warmed to the Loftus Road crowd after just two home games. A loud, bubbly character whose positive energy radiates through the club whenever he’s involved. Just look at him at full time after Charlton on Saturday. Definitely one of my favourites for a while. 

Kealey Adamson – 5.5/10?

The Mbuenge signing was followed the next day by the announcement of Australian right-back Kealey Adamson. I would have this down as a ‘too early to tell’ (hence the question mark) but as he was a first team signing – aged 22, much older than some of the fresher, development projects that have arrived, I feel a rating is necessary.

It’s a tough one. Personally, this one confuses me. We have no idea if he’s any good or not. I wasn’t impressed when I saw him in Pre-Season, but he was playing left-back. He’s had a few very short cameos so far this season but, if I can speak boldly, the manager doesn’t seem to rate him. 

It’s always going to be tough to get in ahead of Jimmy Dunne but even Mbuenge is trusted ahead of him at right-back. I’m not writing him off, I just have very little to go off for this signing – he’s only played a season in the A-League, and no one had heard of him when he arrived. I can’t say whether this is definitively a good or bad signing, I just find it strange that he doesn’t seem to be getting any game time – not even at Plymouth in the cup. But it’s early days, we can’t make judgements just yet. 

Tylon Smith – Too early to tell

When you sign the U20 AFCON Player of the Tournament it’s always going to intrigue you a bit. Smith has signed as a DS (Development Squad) player but I have a feeling that we may see him in the first team sooner than we may have initially thought. 

After impressing against Plymouth in a back line made up of kids, I don’t think it’ll be long before the 20 year-old South African is given a chance to get some league minutes. A loan would be a smart move – it would be great to see him get some experience in league two (or even one) but he does seem a bit skinny, so will need to beef up a bit to be a championship centre half. 

It’s still too early to tell with this one. One impressive debut (a game in which we threw away a 2 goal lead) is not enough to warrant a rating just yet, but don’t be surprised if/when the injuries start stacking up over winter, and Smith is rushed into first-team football. If that does happen, I think he backs himself enough, and will impress. That’s just a hunch though.

Tim Akindileni – Too early to tell

Another one for the future. Signing at just 17 (It’s his 18th birthday as I write this), I think we’ve missed a trick not loaning him out, even if to a non-league side. I understand that the point in the DS is to develop players closely at the club, but playing first team football will only accelerate his progression.

I think Stephan rates him – He was highly rated at Aberdeen, and played quite a few times for us in pre-season. He looks quite comfortable for his age. Being 6 foot 4 and left-footed both also make him a valuable asset for the future – and a potential heir to Clarke-Salter. 

Rhys Norrington-Davies – 7/10

Left-back was a top priority this window, arguably second after a new striker. Letting Kenneth Paal go was probably the correct decision but this slot became even more of an issue when Ziyad Larkeche tore his ACL. We went into our third game of the new season with Esquerdinha as our only first team left-back. 

I trust that the club were aware of how important this was, and that the reason it didn’t get done promptly was because they wanted to get the right one in rather than panic-buy. This is, in a way, supported by the fact that we only ended up loaning one in rather than signing a permanent one. 

No-one is under the impression that Norrington-Davies was our first choice. Sheffield United fans were happy to see him go by the looks of it, but he was used as a centre half most recently from what I can gather. There was a lot of talk about his proneness to injury – We signed Harvey Vale with a broken back so nothing is new to us. 

I was actually happy with the signing. An experienced left-back at this level who’s played in the Premier League for Sheffield United. Not going to move mountains but fills a hole, and what a massive, gaping hole it was. If he doesn’t perform, he goes back to Brammall Lane next season, and we potentially get someone else in January. If he does, we could look at a permanent move for a player who’s massively out of favour at his parent club. The right move for a club who have rushed and overpaid for signings in the past.

RND performed well on his debut, too. A strong traditional left-back who could work on his attacking output and passing but is definitely good enough for this level. Good competition for Esquerdinha and useful for the games where the youngster may not do so well. Can also cover at CB if absolutely needed.

Midfielders:

During Pre-season, with Jonathan Varane injured, we saw just how paper-thin we are in midfield. Sam Field has been having a nightmare of it lately – a great servant to the club, but he’s getting found out massively. If you’ve read just one of my write-ups you know what I think of Nicolas Madsen. Kieran Morgan is a very promising talent but he needs support.

Harvey Vale, who really should be included in this piece (but isn’t because we signed him with a broken back last season), could be the ball-playing 8 that we desperately need, and I hope he is, but it hasn’t happened yet.

We need someone to sit next to/in front of Varane and progress the ball – we get absolutely steamrolled in midfield and have been for a while now. So it’s a shame that we didn’t get one in this window. If Vale isn’t the answer then we could struggle. 

Isaac Hayden – 8/10 

One redeeming factor is that we’ve managed to bring this man back to the club. If it means a double pivot of Varane and Hayden, then so be it. I don’t care how similar their profiles are – they’re both of starting quality, both miles better than Field and Madsen, and I’d feel much more comfortable. I’m sure the back line would too. 

He’s not the most exciting player, he lacks one or two yards of pace, he’s not the messiah, he has his own downfalls. But Hayden’s experience, leadership qualities and cool-head are much needed in a squad full of fresh talent from the lower leagues, and from abroad. There’s also the technical side – he can actually kick a ball. 

After being made a free agent, it was just such an obvious signing. I didn’t think we’d do it if I’m honest, because I know he’s comfortably on a 5 figure weekly wage, but the club obviously saw the sense in getting it done.

I’m over the moon about it. He was only here for half a season before, but he loved it and was desperate to come back. He brought the type of quality/experience we needed back then and need even more so now. Also playing an important role in Pompey’s survival last season, he’s a very strong signing, possibly top 3 most important of all this summer.

Jaylan Pearman – Too early to tell

This signing was half-known last season when a pre-transfer agreement was revealed on twitter for another Australian youth international. Pearman was brought over from the same club as Daniel Bennie – Perth Glory, but has only played for them 12 times. So it really is too early to form much of an opinion on him. 

Part of the U20 Australian team that won the Asian cup in the summer, Pearman scored in the semi-final. From clips I’ve seen of him, he’s not shy about having a go at goal. He joins the long list of attacking midfielders at the club.

We did see glimpses of him in pre-season, as well as at Plymouth in the cup, where most of his game was spent watching the ball either fly past him down the wings towards our box, or launched over his head from our own defenders towards our attackers. He was a bit slow, but it’s harsh to judge him on this game, where essentially 9 kids were told to just go out and enjoy it. 

I think Pearman is another one who needs a loan, I don’t think playing against academy sides week in week out is going to do much to prepare him for the first team. Ultimately 12 professional games of football, and those being in Australia, are not enough to go off. Time will tell.

Isak Alemayehu – Too early to tell

There was a quick turnover with this one. The rumours came out a day or two before the deadline and it was announced late on the day. From what I can gather so far (checking his stats on FotMob and watching a YouTube compilation), he’s a 6 or an 8 who likes to get forward with the ball, is strong with it at his feet, and likes to get stuck in – with good tackling and interception numbers. 

At 18 years old, Alemayehu has 4 games in Europe under his belt – one of which being against Chelsea, where he scored. That’s a good start. All in all, we won’t know about this one for a while – who knows, he might be another Kieran Morgan who breaks into the team out of nowhere. 

Attackers:

Our absolute top priority was always going to be a goalscorer. Zan Celar getting the number 9 shirt only to be loaned out weeks later was a strange one, especially with our sights on one of the players I’m about to talk about. I’m a big fan of Michael Frey but he isn’t enough to be your primary striker, and he’s been out with a long-term injury anyway.

 Lloyd going out on loan, and Kelman going to Charlton, meant that we had room for one or two new strikers, potentially even three if circumstances allowed for it. 

We also needed wingers. On both sides, too. I love Paul Smyth, can’t stand the hate he gets, but he’s a super-sub. He’s not a starter (even if he started on Saturday and was one of our best players). Dembele can’t seem to stay fit, and he’s better in the 10 anyway, and Rayan Kolli had fitness issues of his own going into this season.

The club delivered.

Kwame Poku – 8/10

£900k for one of the most wanted players in League One is a steal whichever way you look at it. Us and Charlton seem to have both gone down the ‘league-one super team’ route with our transfer strategies, but I honestly think we’ve got the better options. 

Poku was reportedly wanted by Birmingham, Rangers and about 20 other clubs. The best winger in league one last season – 12 goals and 8 assists in just 27 matches, and a spot in the team of the season, it’s hard to argue against that being an unbelievable signing. 

He comes with his own fitness issues, and of course, hobbled off on his debut, and won’t be back till after the international break. But, with a bit more size on him than our other attacking midfielders, I hope he’s more physically up to it. He linked up well with Dembele against Preston and looked sharp enough in pre-season. I think he’ll fit in well and make the step-up. 

Koki Saito – 8/10

I was gutted when Saito wasn’t made permanent. After the Poku signing though, and seeing how well Dembele was playing in pre-season, I didn’t think this position was much of a priority, and I wasn’t sure about the price tag. 

I was wrong. I’m not sure what we ended up paying for the lad, but I know the initial asking price was £5 million. Was it £3 million plus add ons in the end? I’m not sure, I keep seeing different figures everywhere I look. But whatever it was, he was worth it. 

Bringing Saito back was one of the best decisions of the summer, proven by his excellent second debut. It’s so good to have him back. Not only such a nice fella, with a great attitude who makes everyone smile, but also a brilliantly talented footballer, whose profile and dribbling style I feel is something that the championship is not used to. 

Both footed, agile, fast, with a powerful shot, he’s just such a dangerous player and I’m so excited to see him link up with Poku and Kone. Right now, with everyone fit, having to drop one of Chair, Saito, Poku, Dembele and Kone to make up the front four, I’m afraid my choice is Dembele. But bloody hell, what a bunch of options that is. 

Rumarn Burrell – 7/10

This is definitely one of my favourite bits of business for a while. Just for the sheer unexpected nature of it. No one saw it coming. Not even an ITK tweet. No one had heard of him, mind, but were quick to watch clips of him at Burton and read up on him. The reaction to this signing was mostly positive and he’s had a good reception from the fans. 

He wasn’t the main striker that we needed, we knew that. But he brought something we lacked heavily – pace. Also, his work rate is one of the best in the squad, second only to Paul Smyth. He hasn’t scored yet, but got a nice assist against Charlton and will be very good to have off the bench as the season unfolds. 

I think Burrell could be a dangerous player for us and one that will only get better and better. And, if it doesn’t work out, then so what? There was a transfer fee (I think it was around £1 million?), but he wasn’t a high-profile signing, not much hype or pressure on him, just an honest, hard-working footballer who got a championship move and will give it his all. Good business. 

Richard Kone – 9/10

Saved the best till last. This was the one. The one we’ve been after. The one that defines the season. The potential Charlie Austin replacement, 10 years later. We’ve lacked a proper number 9 for so, so long. Forgive me if I sound like I’m getting ahead of myself. 

Conor Washington, Seb Polter, Jordan Hugill, Lyndon Dykes,  Zan Celar. So many disappointments. The closest thing we’ve had in that time was Nakhi Wells and it breaks my heart to talk about him. 

Have we finally got our man? It’s certainly looked that way so far. Had some nice touches on his debut, holds the ball up well and has a presence in the box. Scored what I thought was a decent goal in the embarrassment at Cov. Then, on his home debut, was my man of the match and scored the killer third. 2 in 3. Promising start. 

The story – from the homeless World Cup, to Non-League, to League One, now he’s our man. Les Ferdinand, Charlie Austin. Two of the best to ever wear the shirt – both started in Non-League. It just feels like a good one, doesn’t it? 

The fee? Somewhere around £3 million plus add-ons. Phenomenal business. I don’t know what it is that’s attracting these players to Loftus Road over some of the more lucrative options but whatever it is it’s working. I really hope he’s the 15+ goal guy. The guy who knows what he’s doing, where to put himself, where the goal is, how to score at this level. 

If this doesn’t work out, I don’t know what will.

Departures:

You know it’s a good window when you’re not particularly upset about anyone you’ve lost. Some good business has been done this summer and we haven’t really lost anyone too important. Here’s a brief rundown of who’s departed the club, with a rating out of 10 for their time here:

Kenneth Paal – 7/10

When Paal first signed under Beale, I genuinely believed he was one of the best left-backs in the league. His form obviously fell off and he never really hit those highs again, but I’ve always felt the criticism has been a bit exaggerated for Ken. 

The one thing that always wound me up about Paal was his corners. I’m not sure I ever saw him beat the first man. No idea why he took them for so long, it was a painful old time, feeling that we may never score from one again. He did chip in with goals every now and then though, and I’m pretty sure at one point, he was our top scorer. 

As much as I rated him more than the average R’s fan, he definitely became too much of a liability towards the end of his spell. One game that sticks out is the Burnley thumping in the last home game of last season. No one was good that day, but Paal was an absolute handicap that day and it was pretty clear his time at the club was up. 

Jack Colback – 7/10

I didn’t appreciate Colback’s importance until towards the end of his spell. When he first arrived, I thought it was a good depth signing, bringing some valuable experience which could help keep us in this division. However, off the ball I saw him as a walking red card. 

I rated Colback as a player, he rarely had a bad performance in a Rangers shirt. There was just something about him that didn’t feel very QPR to me. Looking back, I was harsh – his spell was pretty decent (when he was fit) and I’m not sure letting him go was the right decision.

With a ball-playing number 8 being as much as a priority as it is now, I’m confused why the club didn’t see Colback as a good option that was staring us in the face. Maybe he wanted a longer deal than we were prepared to give, I’m not sure. But I’d definitely have him in this team. The perfect middle ground between Varane and Field. Knows how to tackle, can pass the ball, and can get it forward – even scores a few goals. For whatever reason, an agreement wasn’t reached, and Colback now becomes a free agent. 

Morgan Fox – 6/10

Foxy really was a depth signing. One of the first to be brought in under Ainsworth, Fox was signed as a back-up centre half who could also cover at left-back. Not an exciting player by any stretch, but reliable whilst everyone else filled up the treatment room. 

I won’t pretend I was a huge fan of his, but there was a time when he genuinely was one of our most reliable players. There was just always that feeling that a mistake would come. To be fair to him, this only happened on a few occasions, notably Pompey at home, where he almost single-handedly gave them their first win of the season. 

Fox’s departure didn’t help when it came to having experienced heads in the squad. I highlighted this when everyone was complaining about no experience being subbed on at Plymouth – what experience?? Anyway, we’ve now upgraded in the form of Rhys Norrington-Davies. Whilst 5 years younger and less reliable with fitness, he’s played at higher levels, with better players and at one point was one of the best left-backs in the division. 

Charlie Kelman – 2/10

Usually, when you have a player out on loan who finishes the season as top scorer one division below you, there’d be little doubt of them getting into the side in some capacity. On paper it might’ve looked to outsiders like we had our new striker without having to scan the market. After all, Kelman actually outscored Kone last season. 23 goals in one season can’t be a fluke can it?

Kelman never really got a proper shout at QPR, I definitely agree with that. But what some people fail to realise is that he was loaned out four times before he hit form last season. Across those four spells he managed 11 goals in 70 league games. 

Hats off to him for finding form – I’m happy for him, and I was willing to give him a chance. However, if he didn’t want to be at the club then selling was the right move. I don’t blame him, I don’t think he was treated the best by QPR, so fair play for wanting a fresh start. 

Getting the fee we did (£3 million plus add-ons) for a striker with a year left on his deal, with zero championship goals in 23 appearances (mostly off the bench) is top business. Kelman has also failed to hit the ground running at Charlton, being demoted to the bench. So it looks so far like we’ve got the good end of the deal here.

 Lucas Andersen – 6/10

Andersen was one of the January signings under Marti who contributed to our safety. The Dane got off to a flyer with a great assist for Frey against Norwich as they both came off the bench to make their debuts. 

Due to his age, we knew he wasn’t quick, but what he lacked in agility he made up for in skill and ability. I couldn’t stand his looping corners, but he could pass the ball, cross it, and was comfortable with his feet. His part in that 4-0 annihilation of Leeds was just such a pleasure to watch. 

I don’t know what he did in the summer, but he was way off it last season. Scoring our first goal of the season, it looked as though he may continue where he left off. As it turned out, he’d lost yards and yards of pace. His sharpness was gone, and he really struggled. 

There was at least, a good farewell for Anderson. Scoring an absolute thunderc*nt at Preston to keep us in the division for another year. I’ve seen him linked with various championship clubs so I hope he gets a move and is cherished there as much as he was during his short time in West London.

Taylor Richards – 1/10

Such a shame. One of those ones where off the field matters have affected his career and deemed his potential wasted. A really tough time in his personal life contributed to some problems, partly around his attitude, which meant that not even a loan could save his career. 

He made his way into the team in pre-season and scored in our first friendly, so we thought maybe he might actually have a chance, but it wasn’t to be. Still a young lad and I hope he stays in the game and is able to make a career at some level.

Out on loan:

• Zan Celar – Fortuna Dusseldorf 
• Alfie Lloyd – Leyton Orient
• Hevertton Santos – Gil Vicente
• Alfie Tuck – Hampton and Richmond Borough
• Murphy Cooper – Barnsley

Returning from loan:

• Harrison Ashby – Newcastle United
• Yang Min-Hyeok – Tottenham Hotspur (now on loan at Portsmouth)
• Ronnie Edwards – Southampton

Alfie Lloyd will be looking to make a name for himself in League One whilst Alfie Tuck will be gaining valuable first team experience in Non-League. I’m not sure either of them are championship standard but of the 2, Tuck is the more likely one. Cooper would get into our starting 11 right now. Santos doesn’t seem to have a future at Loftus Road, and Celar will probably be hoping to leave permanently next summer too. Good luck to them all. 

More additions were made to the development squad – Kobbie Agbude, Kaleb Dyke and Alex Wilkie have all joined. There were also some close-ones that we didn’t get over the line. One of these, Pepe Meissa Ba, was almost confirmed until a failed medical. The collapse of this deal seems to have pissed Schalke off quite a bit – it looks as if Kone became available and we did a U-turn on the deal last minute. 

Ronnie Edwards was reportedly keen to return, but I was never confident on that deal happening, Southampton were always going to ask for a big fee. It’s a shame as he’s now 4th/5th down the pecking order there and would’ve been one of the first names on our team sheet. Who knows, maybe we’ll get our man one day in the future. 

This did highlight one issue with QPR fans, though – the ITKs. I get it, everyone wants to show off to their mates about how much inside knowledge they may or may not have (usually the latter), but most are smart enough to know when something confidential shouldn’t be spread on twitter. 

It really winds me up when the club are clearly trying to keep a move under wraps and then some kn*bhead on twitter starts tweeting double eye emojis and acting as though they’re at the negotiation table. This is not going to help a deal to progress. It alerts competition and hinders your chances of getting a smooth negotiation done.

As for the Edwards deal – I’m not convinced by the idea that ITKs were to blame for this one. Nothing really confidential was revealed. As far as I made out, it was said that the player wanted to come to the club – obvious as he doesn’t want to be 5th choice centre half, and QPR were in talks – of course we were, he was our best player for half of last season, and that Southampton were asking for a significant transfer fee – well, yeah, why wouldn’t they?

This was one of those ones that was unlikely from the start, it would’ve taken a miracle to get it done. If a deal supposedly collapsed because of a few tweets, then it probably was never very likely in the first place. The ITKs do get on my nerves though. Apart from one, maybe two that go about it the right way, wait till the right time and are usually correct. 

That wraps up QPR’s summer 2025 transfer window. Every window is important but this one definitely felt bigger than others, just like last summer. We’ve further built on a new-ish group and hopefully thrown together a competitive squad. We now go into the break with 4 points from 4 games. Not time to panic yet. Players coming back from injury, new signings settling in, new manager sussing the league out –  it might all start to come together when we return.

Overall, based on the players we’ve seen leave, the money we’ve made, including the bonus Eze money, and the players we’ve brought in, I’d give this window a 7/10.

We’ve spent big money, so these new boys need to deliver. If they don’t work out, we could be in trouble. There were a few gaps that didn’t get filled, arguably two new midfielders were needed, another centre-half, possibly even a keeper. However, we’ve got enough quality, and there’s always January. Let’s get behind them.

See you at Wrexham.

You R’s