Exclusive: Don Goodman reveals QPR issues that Julien Stephan needs to fix | OneFootball

A new boss is set to be named by the Hoops imminently.

Queens Park Rangers are close to appointing Julien Stephan as the successor to Marti Cifuentes.

The Spaniard, who has been on gardening leave since shortly before the end of the season, has left quite the hole for the R's to fill in his wake.

But a replacement has been found, with reports suggesting that Stephan, the former boss of RC Strasbourg and Stade Rennes, will be announced as the new leader in the home dugout at Loftus Road after agreeing a two-year deal.

Cifuentes' brilliance allowed QPR to stay afloat in the Championship during his tenure in charge, so the pressure will be on Stephan to get things going quickly so that the west London club don't get dragged into an all-too-familiar battle at the bottom of the league.

Big job at QPR on Julien Stephan's hands

Work needs to be done across the pitch, according to Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman. They have made a couple of strong re-signings in Jimmy Dunne and Sam Field, and have also been linked with two top performers from League One: Amadou Mbengue and Kwame Poku.

The latter, Peterborough United's star winger, is reportedly set for a medical after a compensation fee was agreed between the two clubs for the Ghanaian free agent.

On the challenges that Stephan will face upon his arrival in West London, Goodman said: "QPR have got issues everywhere, haven't they really?

"They didn't score anywhere near enough goals to get themselves anywhere near a playoff spot. They certainly conceded way too many goals to get themselves near a playoff spot. And worst of all, their home form. Loftus Road was far from a fortress.

"So that is an area where, if you're going to be in the top half of the table, you need to be making your home ground a little bit of a fortress.

"So there's lots to improve upon, but he will take inspiration, no doubt, from Regis Le Bris at Sunderland and what he did, because there was an awful lot for him to sort out. I'm not saying QPR can do a Sunderland, by no means, but I am saying that he'll arrive hopefully with a blank slate and be able to put his imprint straight on it."

Regis Le Bris punt should give QPR confidence in Julien Stephan

QPR finished in a very similar position last season to where the Black Cats ended the 2023/24 campaign, before they brought in the man that led them to promotion to the Premier League.

Sunderland had a lot more talent in their team than Stephan will have to work with when he officially joins the R's, but it just shows the impact that a managerial change can have on a team's fortunes.