Blackburn Rovers may be gutted by recent QPR developments ahead of summer transfer window: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Blackburn Rovers may miss out on one of their transfer targets after the impressive turnaround by QPR this season.

The club were stuck in the relegation zone until February, and it seemed a possibility that they would spend the next year in League One.

However, a good run of form saw them achieve some impressive results, and lifted them out of the bottom three. Now 16th in the table, they are in a good position to remain in the Championship beyond this current campaign thanks to the impressive turnaround overseen by Marti Cifuentes.

Their improved form is a team effort, but Jimmy Dunne can be given a lot of credit after the run the team went on after he came into the side. This was after he was linked with a move away from the club, and, it is fair to say, QPR will be thrilled they resisted the urge to sell him.

Blackburn were linked with Jimmy Dunne in January

Dunne was linked with a move away from QPR before he hit his good run of form at Loftus Road.

Football Insider reported that Blackburn were attempting to make a move for QPR's Dunne in January. He was in the last six months of his contract, and would likely have commanded a very small fee if QPR decided to sell.

Before the transfer window closed, Dunne was not a key player for QPR. He barely played for the club due to injury in the first half of the campaign, and when he did play, it was in a QPR side that were rooted in the relegation zone.

Dunne's form makes a move away from QPR less likely

Dunne has been one of the club's best performers since he has come back into the team at right-back.

After an impressive 1-0 victory over Bristol City, QPR boss Marti Cifuentes told the South London Press about Dunne: "All the credit to him, he is doing really well. I think a big test as well has been one-on-one situations. Some people can underestimate him because he is a tall player, but actually his capacity in one v one situations, even in open space, is really good because he is smart, [and] he has a good tactical defensive foundation."

According to FotMob, he is only dribbled past 0.25 times per 90 minutes, showing how strong Dunne is in the tackle. His recovery stats (4.84 per 90) show how often he wins the ball back, and he is among the top defenders for duels and aerial duels won in the Championship this season.

This was not the first time Dunne impressed since coming into the team. Dunne came into the team at right-back after a 1-0 loss to Stoke last month. While usually playing at centre-back, he was brought in at right-back, starting eight times in a row for QPR.

That Bristol City victory was followed by a run of five wins and three draws, as the R's lifted themselves out of the relegation zone for the first time this season. While their form had been improving before Dunne got into the team, his impact on the club's performances were clear for all to see.

If he hadn't become a key part of the team this year, it is likely Dunne would have left in the summer. His three-year-deal with the club comes to an end this year, and QPR were unlikely to be exercising his option for a further year based on those performances.

However, all signs, you'd think, would now point towards the club extending his deal for at least another year. It could be that they even offer the 26-year-old a further contract extension in order to keep him at Loftus Road for as long as possible, or even to maximise a potential transfer fee for the defender, given that previous interest in him.

For Blackburn, their chance to sign him could well have gone, something they will be gutted about given what we've seen in 2024.