QPR pursuit of potential Chris Willock replacement comes with big risk: View | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers are set for a busy transfer window as Marti Cifuentes takes on his first summer as R's boss.

Rangers were linked to Belgian winger Thibaud Verlinden earlier this week in a report from Belgian outlet Gazet van Antwerpen, after the 24-year-old's impressive season at K Beerschot V.A. in the Belgian Challenger League.

Verlinden is likely to be a replacement for winger Chris Willock who is out of contract and set to depart this summer, but it is unknown how he will adapt to life back in English football.

He played for both Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers in the early stages of his career, but has not been able to impress at a higher level than League One since leaving Staffordshire for the Eredivisie in 2021, and Hoops fans must be careful not to expect too much too soon from him if he does make the move to West London.

Verlinden is a gamble

He began his career at Stoke after joining as a 16-year-old from Standard Liege, and made his debut in professional football for the Potters in August 2017 after impressing in their youth ranks.

After a spell at St Pauli, he joined Bolton on loan for the 2019/20 season and won the hearts of Trotters fans for his performances in League One that year, scoring and assisting three goals each in 17 appearances.

A cruciate injury curtailed his time in the Potteries, as he joined Fortuna Sittard in January 2021 but was only able to make six appearances in the Netherlands before moving to DAC Dunajská Streda in the Slovak Super Liga later that year.

A running theme in his career so far is not staying put at a club for long, and that continued in Slovakia as he left to join K Beerschot in the Belgian second-tier in April 2022.

The 24-year-old has played 63 games for Beerschot in two seasons so far, scoring 11 goals and laying on 17 assists and helping De Kielse Ratten win promotion to the Belgian Pro League last month.

Verlinden certainly has talent, but it seems a big risk to try and replace a player of Willock's talent with someone still so unproven in English football.

The Hoops needed the magic of new boss Marti Cifuentes to guide them to safety after a disappointing start this season, and will hope to build in their next campaign under the Spainard - but whether Verlinden immediately improves their squad is unclear.

Willock would leave big boots to fill

The Belgian can play on either wing and is likely to be targeted to replace Chris Willock, who looks set to leave West London with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Willock has been a key player for the R's since his arrival in 2020, with 20 goals and 22 assists in 143 games for the club.

He enjoyed his best season at Loftus Road in 2021/22, as he netted seven goals and notched 11 assists but saw an injury in March end his season and QPR's play-off hopes as they tailed off without his influence on the team.

Willock is now entering the prime of his career at 26-years-old, and still plays a massive part in the QPR squad as shown by his 38 league appearances this season.

With both players' age and careers so far considered, Verlinden does not seem an improvement on Willock, especially given the fee involved, so QPR must be careful if they are to consider making an impulsive purchase off the back of his good season in the Belgian second-tier.