Charlton Athletic should eye QPR transfer after Julien Stephan warning | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic should try to sign Queens Park Rangers forward Rayan Kolli in the January transfer window.

Charlton Athletic look set to strengthen in attack in the January transfer window and they should try to pursue the signing of Queens Park Rangers’ Rayan Kolli.

Charlton eventually survived relegation in their first season back in the Championship last year with Nathan Jones’ Addicks expected to kick on again this time around.

After a slow start to this season, though, there are glaring areas for improvement within their squad and one in particular is in the final third, searching for some star quality and creative thrust.

One man that they should be looking at Rayan Kolli, who is enduring a tough time of it across the capital city with QPR at Loftus Road.

Charlton should pounce on Rayan Kolli stalling at QPR

Queens Park Rangers manager Julien Stephan has suggested that there is a lack of work ethic and commitment being displayed when it comes to Rayan Kolli.

That has contributed to the 21-year-old Algeria youth international having come close to being frozen out in West London, yet to even feature on the bench in the Championship this season.

Kolli came through the academy at West Ham United before moving to QPR a couple of years ago and he has made over 50 appearances for The Hoops’ first-team.

However, given the suggested falling out between Stephan and Kolli, it would appear as though a departure in the January transfer window is almost inevitable.

Charlton may well want to aim higher than peripheral figures at Championship rivals but Kolli would be an excellent market opportunity if they can get him right – and it is a move they should be looking at.

Rayan Kolli would provide Charlton with a point of difference

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Having joined The R’s from West Ham in the summer of 2023, Kolli was initially widely viewed as a player for the future at Loftus Road but almost immediately broke into the first-team picture.

In the 2023-24 campaign, the forward mad ten substitute appearances, all of which came by New Year’s Day with his last appearance that season seeing him grab an assist off the bench in a 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City.

In the 2024-25 season, Kolli continued to be on the fringes of things, despite an opening day assist away at West Bromwich Albion when playing on the left-wing.

He did eventually break into the first-team once again in the autumn and began to find some rhythm too, with a notable brace in a 3-0 defeat of Norwich City in December before a hamstring injury in the New Year once again set him back.

Last season, now with former Stade Rennais boss Stephan and his reputation for working with and developing younger players at the helm, Kolli showed flashes of his quality in the second half of the season with impressive performances against Portsmouth and Watford looking set to spring him forward into becoming a key man this time around.

That hasn’t happened but the technical quality has been shown and now harnessing that with consistency and an improved industry could finally see him take the next step.

If it isn’t to be at Loftus Road then some added attacking quality is desperately required down in South London and at The Valley.

Charlton will be keen to strengthen their attack

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One thing that Nathan Jones will not compromise on is the demand for work and high intensity work at that with the former Luton Town boss famed for his teams being extremely difficult to play against.

That starts from the front but it cannot go amiss that Charlton are crying out for a bit more ingenuity and quality in the final third to go alongside his fairly defensive but robust style.

Charlton started this season well with three victories and then a draw away at West Brom in their first four games but they have since regressed in line with where their overall attacking output indicates they should be.

Charlton went goalless in three successive matches, including back-to-back goalless draws at home to QPR and Pompey before a 3-1 defeat to Cardiff City.

Tyreece Campbell, heavily linked with Preston North End over the summer, has had a good start to the season but, beyond that, Charlton have badly struggled for creativity and efficiency in attack.

A pragmatist, Jones will be aware that something may need to be tweaked in order for them to improve and perhaps some ‘bad milk’, as Johan Cruyff once famously described the signing of Hristo Stoichkov at with Barcelona’s ‘Dream Team’ in the 1990s may be required: someone who may not always be the easiest of teammates nor with the best of attitudes but someone who can spur things on down at Charlton.