QPR: The big chance creating challenge facing Karamoko Dembele | OneFootball

Karamoko Dembele has created 19 chances so far, but just two of those were big chances.

After impressing at Blackpool last year, former Celtic wonderkid Karamoko Dembélé returned to England this summer, signing for Queens Park Rangers on an initial loan deal that will be made permanent.

Dembélé is looking to be the creative spark the R's need to build on last season's 17th-place finish. Hopes were high for the former Brest winger after catching the eye of plenty of clubs whilst in League One last season.

Whilst it hasn't been a disastrous start to life in London for Dembélé, there is a chance-creating stat that may be bugging him, as he looks to help steer his club away from the bottom of the Championship.

Dembélé a bright spark in QPR's uninspiring start

QPR have struggled massively in the 2024/25 season so far. After such a promising end to the previous campaign and the fans loving new manager Marti Cifuentes, a rough start to the new season means the fear of relegation is slowly starting to sink in again.

With the Spanish manager having a strong transfer window in the summer, fans were disappointed with the start to the season as there were no signs of progress from last campaign's troublesome start. Regardless of this, there is still plenty of time for things to click and Cifuentes to turn the London club's form around.

Averaging a goal per game, the R's find themselves currently the joint-fourth lowest scorers in the Championship. However, new signing Dembélé has been a glimmer of hope so far, contributing with three assists. Having been involved in one-third of the Hoops' goals so far, the winger is the joint-third top assister in the division.

With that in mind, it isn't all doom and gloom for QPR. If Dembélé keeps contributing as he has been, he could prove to be the player to change the course of the season for Cifuentes' men.

QPR's goalscoring gloom

As mentioned, QPR are the joint-fourth lowest-scoring team in the Championship. The R's are conceding far too many goals and not scoring enough to earn results.

However, it's not like Cifuentes' side aren't creating chances. This is backed up by the stats, which show that the R's have had on average the fourth most shots per 90 minutes in the division. But, the former Premier League side have taken 37 total shots on target, which is just 30% of their total shots.

With only nine of these finding the net, QPR are averaging just 0.22 goals per shot on target. The lack of cutting-edge up front is proving to be a source of massive frustration, as the intent and build-up are quite clearly there, just the lack of quality finishing seems to be letting down what is a decent attack.

With just a single goal scored in their last three Championship matches, the problems seem to be going from bad to worse for the Hoops. The lack of cutting-edge is a real concern, and the R's are showing no signs of progressing past their problems, judging by their last three league outings.

Dembélé's big chance creating challenge

Despite being the third top assister in the whole division, Dembélé will feel that he could have more, thanks to a stat that suggests he's struggling to create big chances.

With 19 chances created so far, the summer addition ranks right at the top of the Championship for numbers in that department. However, just two of those have been big chances. His expected assists so far are just 1.74, which means Dembélé is currently exceeding expectations with his three contributions.

First, we must actually be able to define what is considered as a 'big chance'. According to the Opta website, a big chance is defined as a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score, usually in a one on one scenario or from very close range when the ball has a clear path to goal and there is low to moderate pressure on the shooter. In addition to this, penalty kicks are always considered big chances.

The winger is a clear threat, he can be pivotal to QPR's attacking play. However, with such a difference between chances created, and big chances created, Dembélé needs to work on his big chance creation to help get his team out of the rut they find themselves stuck in.

If the Englishman could start turning these chances into big chances, this could be the turning point in QPR's season. Whilst the signing of Dembélé has certainly been a success so far, this stat will be frustrating considering the club's league position.

Thankfully for R's supporters, there looks to be plenty more to come from Dembélé. His strong start in comparison to the rest of his team has proven to be a beacon of hope that things can get better for Cifuentes' side.