Hull City transfer collapse helped QPR strike gold in Burnley deal: View | OneFootball

QPR were close to losing out on Charlie Austin back in 2013, but they will be glad that a deal was agreed.

Queens Park Rangers will be looking to vastly improve next season.

The Hoops endured a tough 2023/24 campaign, but ended it on a high note by comfortably finishing outside the relegation zone.

The appointment of Marti Cifuentes, who was fairly unknown at the time, has proven to be a breath of fresh air for QPR, and with him in charge they could be a real threat next season.

The West London club have struggled to reach the Championship play-offs for many seasons now, and they will be hoping that their fortunes will change next season under Cifuentes. The Spaniard has shown some really promising signs during his short time in England so far, and will now have his first summer transfer window to build the squad he wants.

The last time QPR achieved promotion out of the Championship was a decade ago, and the squad that they had at the time was full of household names. Their top scorer for that 2013/14 campaign, Charlie Austin, signed in the summer of 2013, but the club almost lost out on his signature to Hull City, which could have changed the trajectory of their season.

Looking back, QPR will be grateful that a move to Hull never materialised for Austin.

Hull City almost secured a deal for the striker

Before arriving at Loftus Road, Charlie Austin spent two-and-a-half impressive years with Burnley in the Championship. He was a regular goalscorer for the Clarets in the second tier, scoring 44 goals in 90 games in all competitions, which practically works out as a goal every two games.

For obvious reasons, he was attracting attention in the summer of 2013 and Hull City, who were in the Premier League at the time, were on the verge of securing his services.

On the 8th of July, a fee was agreed between Hull and Burnley for the transfer of Austin, but after failing his medical a day later, the Tigers pulled out of the deal at the last minute.

The deal was reported to be worth around £4.5 million, but it never materialised, which turned out to be fantastic news for QPR in hindsight.

Austin's time at QPR

QPR took advantage of Hull City's transfer collapse and signed Charlie Austin just three weeks later for an undisclosed fee. This turned out to be one of their best signings of the last decade as he became a prolific goalscorer and fan favourite at Loftus Road.

His first season with the club was a huge success, as the Hoops finished 4th in the table and defeated Wigan Athletic in the play-off final at Wembley to earn promotion to the Premier League. Austin played a huge part in their success, scoring 20 goals in all competitions.

The striker then enjoyed his first Premier League campaign in style, scoring an incredible 18 goals and assisting six. He was by far their standout player that season as he absolutely smashed any expectations placed on him. Despite his goals, QPR did suffer relegation back to the Championship, but Austin was able to be proud of his performances.

He then spent six more months with the Hoops before departing for Premier League Southampton.

Overall, Charlie Austin became a key figure at Loftus Road during his three-year spell, and was the club's top scorer in all three seasons he spent with them. QPR will be counting their lucky starts that Hull never got a deal over the line for the striker back in 2013, as they may never have achieved promotion to the Premier League in the following season without Austin's goals.

The 34-year-old returned to Loftus Road for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns, and scored a number of goals to the delight of the Hoops supporters.