Exclusive: QPR backed to beat Derby County to "solid" Isaac Hayden signing | OneFootball

FLW revealed QPR's interest in the former Newcastle United midfielder.

Queens Park Rangers are eyeing up a move for former Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden.

Football League World has revealed that the 30-year-old Jamaican international is being looked at by both QPR and their Championship rivals Derby County, following his departure from St James' Park earlier in August. They are among a number of clubs that FLW understand to be interested in Hayden.

Among the vast number of loan moves that he made during his time with Newcastle was a stint at Loftus Road. In February 2024, he joined the West London club on a short-term temporary deal, helping them to stave off relegation under Marti Cifuentes. He started in a dozen of the 17 league appearances that he made for the club over that period.

Sky Sports pundit urges QPR to snap up Isaac Hayden

Despite the change in manager, with Julien Stephan now in charge of the R's, he remains a player of interest to them.

For Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie, the addition of Hayden to Stephan's relatively young squad could be a perfect fit for the well-versed midfielder.

He exclusively told FLW: "Isaac Hayden, he's an experienced player isn't he? [With] where he's been, he's had a taste of a few clubs. Obviously he was a key part of Newcastle for quite some time but he has had stints around the sort of Championship level with Portsmouth and QPR.

"But yeah, I think [he's] a real solid signing. I think for QPR, in particular, I think going in there, they have got a lot of young players there. They fielded one of the youngest starting XIs recently in the [EFL] Cup.

"But I think to have an experienced head in the changing room, around the changing room, if/when he starts, you know, I just think it's a really good signing for QPR."

Isaac Hayden return deal is a perfectly logical move for QPR to make

Some really exciting signings have been made by Rangers this summer. Up top, two League One stars in Kwame Poku and Richard Kone have been brought in. They also ventured into the third tier market to sign former Reading centre-half Amadou Mbengue.

There's a lot for supporters to be happy about. The one quality that Stephan's squad is lacking a bit of is size in midfield. They have a lot of technical players, but not someone who could use their physicality to break up play and win duels in the way that Hayden did in blue and white two seasons ago.

He made the exact same number of appearances and starts for Portsmouth after another winter move down south last term, so that ability that he showed when he was last at Loftus Road hasn't left him. Everything points towards this deal making absolute sense for the R's.