"Alarm bells" - Kevin Gallen raises issue for QPR and Marti Cifuentes | OneFootball

The ex-Hoops man believes a lack of Championship experience is costing his former side dearly

Former Queens Park Rangers striker Kevin Gallen believes the signs were there from pre-season that the R’s summer recruitment was not up to standard.

The Hoops have won just one of their opening nine Championship fixtures so far this season, with last weekend’s 2-0 defeat away at Derby County leaving them with just one point from the last 12 available.

After turning fortunes around at Loftus Road last season, Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes has struggled to repeat the trick so far in 24/25, with the club sitting in the bottom three as we head into the international break.

And for Gallen the finger has to be pointed at the recruitment team, with a lack of Championship experience cited for the reason that a number of new recruits have failed to make an impact in West London so far.

Kevin Gallen reveals Queens Park Rangers recruitment issue

QPR brought in eleven players over the summer, with Newcastle United loanee Harrison Ashby the only player to have any experience in the English second tier before the season began.

While the cosmopolitan additions that were arriving at Loftus Road in the summer looked exciting on paper, Cifuentes has failed to get a tune out of his new look side so far this season, with just seven points from their first nine games.

That lack of Championship nous is what Gallen believes is costing his former side dearly at the minute, with the ex-striker claiming he already saw the issue arising before a ball had been kicked this season.

Speaking to BBC Sport London, Gallen said: “I do feel recruitment has not been great, and only time will tell if they turn that around.

“But when you go into a season and you sign ten or eleven new players, and not one of them has played a Championship game before, then that will really - well it did for me in pre-season - set the alarm bells ringing.

“The Championship is a tough league, it is a Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, a lot of away games, a lot of away games up north, and it is a tough league and it is unforgiving.

“To come in and have no experience of that level and that competition did set the bells ringing off in my head.”

Queens Park Rangers’ summer recruitment

While Ashby’s 13 matches for Swansea City last season were all that Rangers had to show for Championship experience from their summer additions, the Hoops aren’t short of pedigree from the new arrivals to the club.

Forward Zan Celar featured for Slovenia in Euro 2024 over the summer, although he is yet to find the back of the net this season, while midfield duo Nicolas Madsen and Jonathan Varane joined from KVC Westerlo and Sporting Gijon respectively.

Paul Nardi has taken over the number one role after arriving from KAA Gent, while the likes of Koki Saito and Karamoko Dembele [pictured] have undoubted quality to unleash in the final third, although chances to do so have been few and far between so far.

This international break could have come at the perfect time for Cifuentes and his coaching staff, as he gets the chance to implement his ideas to his side for the next fortnight, with his side constantly adapting to their new surroundings.

With four home matches out of their next five when the season resumes, the R’s will be hoping they can use that advantage to gain some more points and put their early season issues behind them.