QPR: Marti Cifuentes reveals Zan Celar stance amid exit talk | OneFootball

Zan Celar has been linked with a move to Werder Bremen

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes wants striker Zan Celar part of his squad beyond the end of the January transfer window despite recent transfer talk.

Rangers climbed to 13th in the Championship table with a 2-1 win over struggling Luton Town at Loftus Road on Monday night – with starting centre-forward Michael Frey bagging his fifth goal of the season to establish himself as the West Londoners' standalone top scorer.

The striker situation in W12 has been cause for concern this term. Both Lyndon Dykes and Sinclair Armstrong left the club in the summer while there was excitement surrounding their replacement, Celar, who had bagged 51 goals in 118 games for Swiss side FC Lugano ahead of his move to the English capital.

The Slovenian international has endured a testing start to life in the Championship. He struggled for form in the early months of the campaign but looked to have found some when he scored a brace against Cardiff City in late November, only for a thigh injury to stop him in his tracks at the start of December.

Celar is yet to return to action and the January transfer window has seen him linked with a move away from QPR after just six months. Reports in Germany have suggested that the forward has been offered to Werder Bremen as they search for more forward firepower, though his injury issues could derail any deal.

Marti Cifuentes wants to keep Zan Celar at QPR

Speaking after last night's win against Luton – the fifth in a row at home for the Hoops – Cifuentes was asked about the reports concerning the summer signing and whether he wanted Celar in his squad beyond the end of the window.

The Spaniard made his stance clear, responding with: "Of course."

Cifuentes went on to discuss his forward options after Alfie Lloyd impressed in a cameo against the Hatters.

He said: "The good thing is that now, even though we are missing Zan, we have three strikers or three players that can play at the top with different qualities.

"It is about, in my case, picking the right decision. I think that Michi (Frey) did really, really well but we need to remember that he's still coming back from an injury. We need to step by step with him, stretch him slowly with the minutes that he is playing in every game.

"I think that he had a brilliant game today but it was not easy to take the decision to bring on Alfie instead of Rayan (Kolli)."

Zan Celar needs time to prove himself at Loftus Road

Celar has made a disappointing start to life at QPR – with form struggles followed up by a spell on the sidelines – but the striker needs time to prove himself at Loftus Road.

He scored plenty of goals in the Swiss top flight and whatever your reservations about how that compares to the Championship, it takes time for players to settle and adapt to new environments.

The Slovenian international is still just 25 and deserves a bit of patience, which it appears he is going to get under Cifuentes.

That being said, if it's the player that is pushing for a move away then the R's could consider cashing in and looking for a replacement.