QPR backed as "top bloke" seals Loftus Road exit | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit has given his reaction after midfielder Lucas Andersen was released at the end of his contract.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Queens Park Rangers have confirmed that midfielder Lucas Andersen will leave the club at the end of his contract this summer.

Andersen reunited with his former AaB manager Marti Cifuentes when he joined QPR on a free transfer in February 2024 following his departure from the Danish side, and he played a crucial role in the second half of the 2023-24 season as the West London outfit secured Championship survival.

The 30-year-old struggled to build on his impressive start to life at Loftus Road, and he fell out of favour over the course of last season, with just 14 of his 35 appearances in all competitions coming from the start, while he also missed over two months of the campaign with a calf injury.

Despite not officially having a manager in place, the R's have tied a number of players down to new contracts this summer, including Joe Walsh, Murphy Cooper, Jimmy Dunne, Steve Cook, Sam Field and Michael Frey, but they have decided against offering Andersen an extension, meaning that his 18-month spell at the club will now come to an end.

After his departure was announced, Andersen said that QPR is "one of the best places" he has been in his career, while CEO Christian Nourry described him as a "wonderful person and a skilful #10" who has given the club "some iconic moments".

QPR backed over big Lucas Andersen contract decision

When asked if Andersen would be missed at Loftus Road following his release, FLW's QPR fan pundit Louis Moir said the club were right not to offer him a new contract, and he admitted that he believes that the former Denmark international will be relatively easy to replace.

"I think this is yet another correct decision from the club regarding Lucas Andersen," Louis told FLW.

"When he first arrived, he came in at a difficult time when we were struggling, but he was quite instrumental in our survival that season.

"He looked like a really good player.

"Obviously he struggled with injuries, but last season, when he did play, aside from when he popped up with that cracking goal at Preston away, for the most part, he just looked slow and totally past it.

"He looked like a totally different player to what we saw initially when he first signed.

"It's definitely the correct decision to release him now at the end of his contract.

"He's a top bloke, I think you can tell how much he fit into the club and how much he enjoyed playing for us.

"However, I wouldn't say he will be a big miss at all, and he will probably be easily replaceable.

"It's a shame, but last season, he just looked completely different, and he wasn't really impacting games at all.

"He looked very sluggish as well, so he probably is a bit past it now.

"However, he came in and helped us survive in the league, he scored a really good goal at home to Leeds when we beat them 4-0, and you can't really fault his effort, commitment or his performances when he first joined the club.

"I think we can probably replace him, he was never a starter really and never cemented himself in the XI.

"We've probably got players who can play in his position at the moment, regardless of new signings.

"He's a nice bloke and had his good moments, but the time is right for him to leave."

QPR are in a strong position ahead of imminent Julien Stephan arrival

Andersen played a big role as QPR impressively secured safety under Cifuentes in the 2023-24 campaign, but he was unable to make quite the same impact last season, so as Louis says, it is the right call to release him.

Having been signed on a free transfer, Andersen certainly proved to be a good addition for the R's, and he did pop up with some important goals during his spell at the club, but as it is unlikely he would have been a regular starter next season, it would have made little sense for the club to give him a new deal.

With many of the Hoops' key players now tied down to new contracts and some of those deemed surplus to requirements heading out of the exit door, Nourry is handing the squad over to incoming new manager Julien Stephan in good shape, and the pair will now need to turn their attention to bringing in reinforcements in the transfer market.