"He could be the man" - QPR urged to avoid Zan Celar transfer "mistake" | OneFootball

FLW's QPR Fan Pundit believes the club should resist any potential offers for Celar this window

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Slovenian striker Zan Celar joined QPR last summer from Swiss Super League side Lugano for an undisclosed fee - arrving as one of the club's marquee signings alongside Nicolas Madsen.

However, the 26-year-old has struggled to make an immediate impact in West London, managing just two goals in 19 appearances across all competitions during his first season in English football.

Despite a somewhat underwhelming debut campaign in England, FLW's QPR Fan Pundit, Louis Moir, believes the club should resist any potential offers for Celar this window - arguing he deserves more time to prove himself at Loftus Road.

QPR advised to be patient with Zan Celar rather than cash in

Speaking to FLW, Moir was clear in his assessment that selling Celar would be premature - and being patient with him is the best possible option.

"I think it would be a mistake to get rid of Celar so soon after he signed and we’ve not seen the best of him yet at all, far from it," Moir explained.

"Obviously he was out injured for ages but you know he came in for a lot of stick at the beginning of his QPR career last season and he weren’t scoring, he didn’t look like he could hack it at this level but before his injury he managed to grab a couple goals and was unlucky not to score a few more and we saw an improvement in his performances."

Moir touched on the common adjustment period required for some foreign players adapting to English football, "Some of these players who come from abroad need time to settle in, so i think he was showing signs of progression and for me he needs to be given a fair chance next season as arguably the main striker."

"I think it’ll be silly to sell so soon after we bought him, him and Madsen were like the two big summer signings last year and i don’t think you can give up on him just yet."

Zan Celar's proven goalscoring record provides hope for QPR

Despite his struggles at QPR, Celar's track record does suggest there could be untapped potential waiting to be unlocked.

The Slovenian striker was the Swiss Super League's top scorer in the 2023/2024 season - and he netted 51 goals in 116 appearances across three seasons.

Moir pointed to Cardiff away as a prime example as to why QPR need to keep ahold of him, "At the end of the day if you look at his record, yeah you can say how good is the level of quality where he came from but he is a goalscorer, he’s got that instinct and you saw from his goals when we played Cardiff away last season, both of his goals that night were two top finishes, so he’s clearly got it."

"I don’t think we should be selling him or looking to sell him whatsoever, he needs to be given a fair chance, clean-slate, it’s going to be a new manager, new season, he’s going to have a preseason to fit in and get fit, hopefully show he is capable of doing it in the championship.

"He could be the man, so hopefully he will be staying and arguably is the number one striker at the club next season."

While Celar's debut season at QPR has been underwhelming, his proven goalscoring ability in Switzerland does suggest the potential remains for a successful Championship career - provided he's given the time and support to adapt.