New QPR prospect Timothy Akindileni targeting breakout campaign under Julien Stephan | OneFootball

The R’s new head coach has a knack for developing young talent

At just 17 years old, Timothy Akindileni stands as a testament to why at Queens Park Rangers, if you're good enough, you're old enough.

The young centre-back will spend next season with the club’s development squad, but with one eye on a pathway into the first team.

QPR's newfound focus on developing young talent and offering them a route into the first team made their pitch to Akindileni an easy one - there are not many places the youngster could get such exposure to top-level football.

"It's about the young players and the pathway,” Akindileni tells Standard Sport. “I didn't want to go somewhere where there wasn't a pathway to the first team. It's not guaranteed at any club you go to, but the fact that they do produce a lot of talented young players just showed me I can develop my football here.”

Half the battle with young players is keeping the genie in the bottle. Tempering expectations, staying grounded and maintaining focus are key to a successful career.

"You need to just stay humble, just because you are a young player does not mean they are just going to force young players in the team,” says Akindileni. “You need to earn it, and that's what I'm going to do."

The clarity and humility with which Akindileni speaks suggest he has the measure of himself.

Akindileni has hit the ground running in pre-season

Queens Park Rangers

For the Scottish-born Akindileni, a regular in the Czech Republic youth setup, the move to QPR is a coming-of-age moment. The young defender has moved out of his family home and away from his support network for the first time.

"I'm not living with my family anymore,” he says. “I'm living in a family home now, but I've settled in all good. They are really nice.

“I think it's good here because there are no distractions. It's just football. Whereas in Aberdeen, I had my friends, seeing them after training and that. But here, it's just focusing on football."

QPR handed four first-team debuts to academy players last season, while Rayan Kolli continued to impress with four goals in 20 appearances following his breakthrough campaign the previous season.

A change in head coach, with Julien Stephan replacing Marti Cifuentes, has not led to a change in tact from QPR, who continue to put faith in youth ahead of the new campaign.

QPR’s four first-team signings this summer are all under the age of 25, with Tylon Smith, Charlie Warren, Kaleb Dyke and Jaylan Pearman also signed by the Development Squad.

Having played a key role in the careers of Ousmane Dembele, Eduardo Camavinga, Jeremy Doku and Desire Doue while at Rennes, the expectation is that Stephan’s track record of developing young talent will help QPR's increasingly young squad fulfil their potential.

"He's just a calm, relaxed, composed individual,” Akindileni said of his new coach. “He's assertive when he's giving his information across, and his English is good, better than I'd expect, to be honest. He's very good. He's able to get his information across well to the players.

"He (Stephan) always said to me, he doesn't really care about my age. It's just more he needs to see that potential in me. So, if I'm the best in training, he'll trust me.

“I think that's a good thing about him, because he doesn't care about anyone's age."

Akindileni's arrival is a sign of the times for Rangers, who are looking to propel themselves up the table with a young core championed by a head coach with the credentials to nurture potential into performances.

QPR are operating on a shoestring budget but have big aspirations. They hope that by becoming a destination for young players to showcase their talent, they will be able to punch above their weight while remaining financially sustainable.