QPR set for fresh Marti Cifuentes concern as talks begin with West Brom over vacancy | OneFootball

It has been reported that Queens Park Rangers' Head Coach Marti Cifuentes has held talks with a fellow Championship club ahead of the summer.

It has been reported that Queens Park Rangers’ Head Coach Marti Cifuentes has held talks with a Championship rival this week over the possibility of him becoming their new boss for the 2025/26 season - with that now being reported to be West Brom.

Cifuentes and his QPR side have stabilised themselves in the middle-of-the-table in the second-tier after an up and down campaign, where at times there were hopes of the play-offs, and at other times the fear that they may drop into the relegation battle.

However, following reports earlier this week in The Sun that Cifuentes had grown unhappy with his situation at Loftus Road and was weighing up whether to step down from the R’s hotseat, it has now been suggested by Sky Sports that his representatives have already held discussions over a move to a league rival - West Brom being the team in question, per Dharmesh Sheth.

QPR were annihilated by title-chasing Burnley on Saturday by five goals to nil in their final home game of the campaign and now there are indications that the Spanish coach is eyeing up a move away from west London.

It has been a busy week in terms of the managerial merry-go-round in the Championship, with both Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion sacking Johannes Hoff Thorup and Tony Mowbray respectively earlier in the week following the two sides’ 3-1 defeats to Millwall and Derby County on Easter Monday.

Marti Cifuentes' representatitves in talks with West Brom amid QPR frustration reports

The aforementioned report from The Sun claimed the fact that Cifuentes had become frustrated by certain ways in which QPR had been run over the course of the campaign, such as the club’s Director of Performance, Ben Williams, overseeing the sports science, medical, physio and nutrition departments from Dubai.

QPR have been dealing with several injuries throughout the season and that was reportedly one of a few issues that Cifuentes had leading to a breakdown in the relationship between the manager and 27-year-old Chief Executive Christian Nourry.

Following their defeat to Swansea City on Easter Monday last week, Cifuentes did imply he was looking for more, saying: “The supporters since I first came here have been amazing.

"But I would like to give them something else and not just celebrate another season in the Championship.”

The former Hammarby boss arrived after a woeful start to the 2023/24 campaign under Gareth Ainsworth, and eventually comfortably steered them clear of the bottom three and the relegation places last season.

After a similarly poor start to this season, Cifuentes atoned and once again led the Hoops away from any danger but they do appear to now be finishing the season with a bit of a whimper.

Marti Cifuentes looks set to be a major player in Championship managerial merry go round

Thorup’s departure at Norwich has provoked plenty of rumour and conjecture about who the Canaries will target this summer with fresh reports linking them with Watford boss Tom Cleverley.

West Brom, on the other hand, have apparently earmarked Ryan Mason as their number one target, according to Alan Nixon via his Patreon. Mason is currently a part of Ange Postecoglou’s coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur, however, they are clearly looking at alternatives, given talks with Cifuentes' agents.

As for other clubs looking for a new boss, title chasing Leeds United may still reportedly sack Daniel Farke, whilst Southampton are coming down without a permanent boss, and the expectation is that that will also be the case for Leicester City if Ruud van Nistelrooy departs.

There is a lot of uncertainty in the Championship at the moment in terms of the managerial positions of several clubs, and QPR fall into that bracket with Marti Cifuentes now seemingly a wantaway coach, but West Brom may just be weighing up the availability of all of their options before making a definitive decision on who they want to replace Mowbray.