‘Could be a bargain buy’ – QPR enter race for Derby County star amid Newcastle, Wolves interest: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Queens Park Rangers have entered the race with AFC Bournemouth for Derby County winger Tom Lawrence, according to Football Insider.

The 28-year-old has been the subject of widespread speculation this morning with TEAMtalk reporting that Fulham, Brighton, Burnley, Newcastle and Wolves are also interested in securing his signature, with his contract at Pride Park expiring at the end of the campaign.

He was thought to be on the verge of an exit back in November when the Rams were thought to be prepared to let their captain go for free, mainly due to his wages with the financial difficulties they currently face.

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Adel Taarabt

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Fast forward two months – and Wayne Rooney’s side are still in administration with numerous barriers currently preventing a preferred bidder from being confirmed.

With the need to raise cash, administrations decided to accept a five-figure bid to sell Graeme Shinnie to Wigan Athletic – and more departure could be on the way if the second-tier side fail to secure more funding with Jason Knight also linked with a move away.

Lawrence is another man that may be available – and QPR are one of numerous sides thought to be interested in signing the Welshman in their quest to get back to the Premier League.

We asked three of our writers at Football League World for their verdicts on these two key points.

Ben Wignall

Based on recent form this would be a very good pickup for QPR.

I had my doubts about Lawrence at the start of the season, simply because his form last season was not good enough for the level we know he’s capable of playing at.

He seems to be a man possessed right now though under Wayne Rooney and he’s been a match-winner in big clashes with Bournemouth and Sheffield United in recent times.

The R’s though do have creative talents such as Ilias Chair and Chris Willock, and with the system Mark Warburton plays it’s hard to see all three being able to start at the same time.

If Lawrence can be picked up for a cut-price fee then for me this would be a brilliant move for the promotion chasers, but I think that it would be hard to keep all three players happy with their game-time.

Ned Holmes

This could be a fantastic signing from a QPR perspective.

Teams around them are strengthening and Mark Warburton will want to respond to ensure his side can uphold their play-off push.

Adding more firepower could make a lot of sense, particularly someone that offers Tom Lawrence’s versatility.

The Wales international is capable of featuring across the forward line and in attacking midfield, meaning he could be used as cover for Ilias Chair initially but also inject some more dynamism to the striking unit when necessary.

He’s been in sparkling form this term and could be just what the R’s need to secure promotion.

Charlie Gregory

QPR signing Tom Lawrence would obviously be a great move considering the player’s creativity and ability to bag goals.

The forward could bolster an already fairly solid Hoops frontline and with the side desperate to try and ensure they get a play-off spot this season, it could go a long way towards doing that.

Considering that he might also be available on the cheap, it means that it could be a bargain buy for the club.

If a deal is doable then they should most definitely do it – even if he isn’t essential.