Who is Rasmus Bertelsen? The man being eyed by QPR to replace Marti Cifuentes | OneFootball

We profiled Randers head coach Rasmus Bertelsen amid speculation linking him with a move to QPR.

Despite Marti Cifuentes still officially being in charge of the club, Queens Park Rangers are currently searching for a new manager.

QPR were widely tipped to be one of the dark horses in the Championship last season, but it did not work out that way, and after flirting with relegation at various points during the course of the campaign, they eventually finished in 15th place.

While the R's season petered out to a low-key finish on the pitch, the same certainly cannot be said for events off the pitch, and head coach Marti Cifuentes was placed on gardening leave in the build-up to the final game after his representatives reportedly held talks with West Bromwich Albion over their vacant managerial position.

However, in a surprise turn of events, it was later revealed that Cifuentes was not on the Baggies' shortlist of candidates to succeed Tony Mowbray, and the Midlands outfit have since appointed Tottenham Hotspur assistant Ryan Mason as their new head coach.

Cifuentes may not be taking over at The Hawthorns, but his position at Loftus Road looks untenable, and although QPR have been on the hunt for possible replacements, it has been a frustrating search for them so far.

Former Lyon boss Pierre Sage was linked with the Hoops, but he has since been appointed as the new manager of French side Lens, and ex-Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup is believed to have turned down the job after holding talks with the club.

With Sage and Thorup now out of contention, a new name emerged in the frame on Tuesday morning as Danish outlet Bold claimed that the R's are interested in Randers head coach Rasmus Bertelsen, but who is the club's latest target?

QPR targeting Rasmus Bertelsen to replace Marti Cifuentes

Bertelsen did not have a playing career, but he joined Danish outfit Randers as head of academy coaching in July 2009, and he has remained with the club ever since, working his way up through the ranks.

After holding positions as academy manager and chief scout, Bertelsen made the step up to the first-team setup at Cepheus Park Randers when he was appointed as Ricardo Moniz's assistant in October 2017, but just eight games later, he was named as caretaker manager after the Dutchman's dismissal, winning seven, drawing five and losing six of his 18 games in temporary charge.

Bertelsen was overlooked for the permanent job on that occasion, but he returned to his former role as assistant in the summer of 2018 following the appointment of Thomas Thomasberg, and the pair would spend almost five years working together, with their most notable achievement coming in 2021 when they led Randers to the Danish Cup for just the second time in their history.

After Thomasberg departed to take over at fellow Danish top flight side FC Midtjylland in March 2023, Bertelsen was given the opportunity to take the top job, and the decision to promote him has certainly proven to be the right call.

Randers have recorded fifth, 10th and fourth-placed finishes respectively under Bertelsen, with this season's position representing their best for over 10 years, and they have qualified for the European play-off match in each of the last two years, with the winner earning a place in the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.

After losing 2-1 to Copenhagen last season, Bertelsen and his side suffered frustration for the second consecutive campaign as they were beaten 3-1 by Silkeborg on Sunday, but the failure to achieve European football does not detract from the 41-year-old's impressive work.

Rasmus Bertelsen has previously turned down a move to England

QPR are not the first English club to take an interest in Bertelsen in recent months, with League One side Wycombe Wanderers said to have held talks with the Dane after Matt Bloomfield's move to Luton Town in January.

After intense discussions between the two parties, Bertelsen rejected the chance to take over at Adams Park, instead opting to remain loyal to Randers in their pursuit of European football, and the Chairboys eventually appointed Mike Dodds as Bloomfield's replacement.

Bertelsen has also been linked with jobs in his homeland, with many tipping him as a possible successor to ex-Brentford and Leeds United boss Uwe Rosler at AGF, but he recently shut down that speculation, insisting that it would take something special to tempt him away from Randers.

"It is correct that there has been ongoing interest from various places, but I will not go into which clubs it concerns," Bertelsen said, as quoted by Bold.

"As I have said before, it really has to be something that is extremely attractive if I am going to move on from Randers now."

It remains to be seen whether the opportunity to manage in the Championship would be enough to convince Bertelsen to end his 16-year association with Randers, and as he has three years left on his contract in Denmark, QPR would have to pay compensation to land his signature, but the situation could be one to watch over the coming days and weeks.