QPR set to make contract offer to ex-Brighton player | OneFootball

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Queens Park Rangers are prepared to offer a contract to teenage left-back Casey Shann, according to a report from West London Sport.

The R's managed to add some experienced heads to their squad this summer and that was important following the departures of Stefan Johansen and Leon Balogun, with the former previously taking the captain's armband in the English capital and the latter providing experinence in central defence.

Steve Cook and Jack Colback both joined in the summer - and that has probably allowed QPR to turn things around with both being part of Nottingham Forest's promotion-winning 2021/22 squad.

Not only do the R's need to add experience, but they also need to look to the future and they have already done this to an extent by bringing in the likes of Ziyad Larkeche and Taylor Richards, both of whom are young and have plenty of time to improve further.

Another man who has plenty of time to improve is 19-year-old Shann, who joined the club on a trial basis in the summer and has seemingly done enough to earn himself a deal at Loftus Road.

It's unclear whether he will link up with the first team straight away, but he could have his game time limited at first with Larkeche, Morgan Fox and Kenneth Paal all able to operate on the left-hand side if required.

Casey Shann's departure from Brighton

He was previously with the Seagulls until he was released this summer, but his departure may not come as a surprise to him considering how high standards are now at the Amex Stadium.

They are no longer a Championship or bottom-half Premier League club - they are now competing in European competitions and will probably only keep those they think have a chance of making it to the top.

Shann wasn't the only promising left-back on the south coast either, with Imari Samuels currently playing for the Seagulls after impressing at now-League One side Reading in their Category One academy.

Not only would he needed to have battled Samuels for a spot in the first-team squad, but to give himself a chance of starting, he would have had to force his way past the excellent Pervis Estupinan in the pecking order.

Is Casey Shann a good signing for QPR?

It's hard to tell because he's not a well-known player - but if he has impressed on trial - then he deserves a contract.

They probably shouldn't be looking to tie him down for too long because that could allow the player to become too comfortable.

But if he signs and then continues to shine, they should be looking to tie him down to ensure they don't lose him for free or a reasonably small fee.

By making this signing though, the R's are building for the future and that's important because they need assets they can sell if they want to continue abiding by the EFL's financial rules.