QPR should swoop for services of ex-Brentford free agent winger: Opinion | OneFootball

Highlights

A month is a long time in football, and Queens Park Rangers fans probably think their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Watford on the opening day of the Championship season was now a long time ago.

The mood among the R's fanbase following that result was perhaps at an all-time low - they only just about survived relegation last season following a complete collapse in form midway through the campaign and the fact that the Hornets ran riot on them to open the campaign was not what the doctor ordered.

In fairness, head coach Gareth Ainsworth was without any natural centre-backs with Championship experience, and their two wins away at Cardiff City and Middlesbrough since has showed that there is something to work with.

The Hoops' transfer activity was pretty underwhelming to say the very least - some experience was added in Steve Cook, Jack Colback, Morgan Fox and Asmir Begovic whilst Ziyad Larkeche and Paul Smyth both add some potential excitement and pace out wide, either at left-back, wing-back or on the wing.

The emergence of Sinclair Armstrong into a more prominent role is also exciting, but despite keeping the likes of Ilias Chair and Chris Willock, you cannot help but feel that QPR are still missing something in the final third.

Midfielder Andre Dozzell played in a more advanced, wider role and scored a cracker against Boro, but with Smyth currently playing at wing-back and Willock only on the bench, there is a clear need for another option in attack.

And there is perhaps the perfect option for Ainsworth on the free agents market in the form of Tariqe Fosu, with the 27-year-old still without a club following his departure from Brentford over the summer.

Who is Tariqe Fosu?

Fosu started his career as a youngster with Reading but failed to make the grade with the Royals, eventually joining Charlton Athletic in 2017.

After two years with the Addicks, Fosu moved to Oxford United, but that lasted just half a season as Brentford snapped the winger up from the U's for £750,000 after scoring eight times in 25 League One appearances.

Fosu was a regular in the Bees' 2020-21 promotion-winning season from the Championship, playing 41 times in the league, but game-time diminished upon reaching the Premier League, and he played just once in the top flight in 2021-22.

The four-cap Ghana international spent last season on loan at both Stoke and Rotherham, and it was at the Millers where he had a greater impact.

Despite only notching three goal contributions for Matt Taylor's side though, that doesn't tell the whole story when it comes to Fosu's effectiveness on the pitch.

Why would Tariqe Fosu be a good signing for QPR?

One positive thing that Fosu provides is versatility - something which in Ainsworth's different systems could be very important.

Fosu started off his career as a winger, but was occasionally deployed as a wing-back at Brentford and more-so at Stoke last season, where he could operate on both sides of the pitch.

When at Rotherham though, Fosu played in a more unfamiliar role through the middle of the park for the most part, using his energy in a different position whilst also operating out wide in a few matches too as a winger.

At his best, Fosu is a very good ball carrier who will run at defenders, whether that is towards the byline to whip in a cross or to cut in and try to make something happen, and with his Championship experience and the fact he's in the peak years of his career it's a shock that no club has decided to pick him up yet.

Ainsworth is not exactly blessed with reliable options out wide - on their best day, Willock and Chair are two of the most creative players in the league, but Willock's day hasn't really been since the opening two months of last season and his injury record is patchy at best.

With Smyth being utilised in a different position and Albert Adomah coming towards the end of his career, there is the need for a player like Fosu, and especially if Ainsworth wants to pack the midfield as he doesn't really have a player who can play as an 'eight' who is primarily forward-thinking.