QPR should join Watford in transfer race for ex-Rangers attacker: View | OneFootball

Highlights

The January transfer window provides Queens Park Rangers manager Marti Cifuentes with the first opportunity to make changes to his playing squad.

The Rs appointed the former Hammarby manager at the end of October, and he has so far taken charge of five Championship games.

Cifuentes has guided the West London side to two wins and two draws, with the victories coming in the last two games against Stoke City and Preston North End, respectively.

Those six points have seen QPR close the gap on the teams above to just four points, and Cifuentes will hope that form can continue heading into Christmas and the new year.

It is unclear what position the club is going to be in going into January and whether the board will be backing Cifuentes heavily or not.

Either way, QPR needs to add some new signings to their squad if they have any chance of staying in the division, and with news emerging about sides being interested in Alfredo Morelos, the Rs should be seriously considering a move.

Host of Championship sides eye Alfredo Morelos

The Columbian international may already be known to many English supporters, as he spent a considerable amount of time in Scotland playing for Rangers.

During his time at Ibrox, Morelos made 269 appearances, scoring 124 goals, which included contributing as they won the Scottish Premiership in 2021.

The forward’s time at the club ended in the summer, as his contract expired, and it was decided he would not be offered a new deal.

Morelos joined Brazilian side Santos, but it has been a move that hasn’t worked out, as he’s been plagued with injuries and the side have suffered relegation.

It has now emerged from TEAMtalk, that Watford are among a host of Championship clubs who are interested in signing the striker.

Morelos is contracted to the club until 2025, but with the Brazilian side suffering relegation, it means some of their players have release clauses that are now active.

A move in January seems on the cards, and with a host of Championship teams interested, QPR should consider entering the race.

QPR should join the race for Alfredo Morelos

The Rs are considerably light at the top end of the pitch and have been for a while now, as the pressure of scoring goals has been at the feet of Lyndon Dykes.

QPR have scored just 17 goals in the league this season, the second-lowest so far. So, if they are going to get out of this trouble, they need to improve in front of the goal and, therefore, likely need reinforcements in that area of the pitch.

Left-back Kenneth Paal is QPR’s top goalscorer this season, with three goals alongside Dykes, so it is very clear that the club needs to find a proven, more reliable forward, and Morelos could be the answer, even if it is a short-term one.

Morelos has never played in the Championship before, but QPR would hope his time at Rangers would help if he were to join. In his six seasons at the club, he scored 79 goals and recorded 26 assists, meaning he had a goal rate of 0.59 times per 90 minutes and an assist every 0.19 times per 90 minutes, as per Fbref.com.

The forward always had an eye for goal, taking 366 shots during his time at Ibrox, with 174 of them being on target. He averaged 4.4 shots per 90 minutes he played for the club, while his aggression was shown as he won 30 tackles, along with many red cards, as per Fbref.com.

As mentioned, there may be some doubts as Morelos hasn’t played in the Championship before, but he has been prolific in recent seasons, and QPR need to find another way of getting goals into their team. If the Rs sign him on a loan, he is a low-risk signing, but he would provide help to Dykes and could ease some of the burden that is currently on his shoulders.