Julien Stephan would face one clear QPR issue straight away if appointed - He'd need to fix it | OneFootball

Julien Stephan would have a huge issue to resolve straight away if he is appointed QPR manager.

If Julien Stephan is appointed Queens Park Rangers manager, he will have an important dilemma to solve as soon as he walks through the door at Loftus Road.

The former Stade Rennais boss has been linked with a move to the capital this summer, after Marti Cifuentes was placed on gardening leave by QPR before the conclusion of last season.

The R's are deep into their search for the Spaniard's successor, which has seen plenty of names such as Rasmus Bertlesen and Johannes Hoff Thorup all linked with the vacancy at Loftus Road.

The latest to reportedly be on QPR's shortlist is Stephen, who has spent his entire managerial career thus far in his native France, with teams such as RC Strasbourg and Rennes.

If the 44-year-old is to join the Championship outfit, he will be faced with a tough dilemma regarding the striker situation at the club.

QPR's are facing striker dilemma

The R's have faced struggles in recent years when it comes to finding a consistent goalscorer, which has likely held them back from pushing further up the Championship table.

Last season, Michael Frey ended the campaign as Cifuentes' men's top scorer, with eight league goals to his name, with the next best attacker being Rayan Kolli, who managed just half of the former's tally.

Striker Zan Celar has failed to live up to expectations, following a move from Lugano in the summer of 2024. All of this has seen QPR struggle to push on, as they don't have a dependable goalscorer.

However, the big relief is that League One top scorer Charlie Kelman will return to Loftus Road this summer, following his excellent loan spell with Leyton Orient last term.

The American was red-hot for the O's, scoring 23 times in 49 matches as Richie Wellens' side made it all the way to the League One play-off final, where they were beaten by London rivals Charlton Athletic.

Kelman returns to QPR after the best season of his career, but there are still questions if the striker will be playing for the Superhoops next season. As Football Leage World exclusively revealed, the 23-year-old has already attracted interest from other Championship clubs.

Julien Stephan will have to fix QPR striker issue if appointed

It's clear to see what area of the squad needs to be prioritised in the summer if QPR want any chance of progressing further up the Championship table next term.

Without an out-and-out goalscorer, the R's would be unable to even think about bettering last season's finish. This is something that Stephen will have to fix if he's appointed to replace Cifuentes.

Firstly, the Frenchman will have to decide his stance on Kelman, and whether he wants to retain him as a first-choice striker, or cash in whilst his stock is high.

The American forward has never hit the ground running in a QPR shirt, hence multiple loan spells in recent years. However, he'll now return a much more confident figure, which could make for a different story this time around.

If Stephen decides to cash in on Kelman and bring in a new forward externally, he'll need to be sure that they bring in the right person for the right price, not overspending to bring someone in who can be that consistent goalscorer the R's are screaming out for.

But if the former Rennes manager lets Kelman leave the club, there's a risk that the 23-year-old could go on to smash it elsewhere, whilst whoever he brings in fails to hit the ground running, which leaves an extremely tough dilemma.