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Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has his say on QPR retaining Zan Celar

Slovenian international Zan Celar has endured a difficult start to life in English football, which has placed doubts about his future prospects at Loftus Road beyond the summer transfer window.

Celar joined QPR last summer from Swiss side FC Lugano for an undisclosed fee, and went 20 appearances without a goal before finally opening his account with a spectacular double against Cardiff City in November.

Paul Nardi, the R's goalkeeper, praised Celar's mentality following his breakthrough performance, saying "I'm very happy for Zan Celar, he's a big fighter".

Despite an impressive record of 40 goals in 95 league games for Lugano, where he topped the Swiss top-tier scoring charts in 23/24, Celar failed to play for QPR again after early December due to suffering a hamstring injury.

QPR must keep Celar and the rest of their squad together for 25/26

Speaking exclusively to FLW, Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has placed importance on QPR retaining Celar and keep their squad depth ahead of what he believes will be an increasingly competitive campaign.

"I think they need to keep as many players as they can, I really do. I think this is a big season for QPR," Hendrie stated.

"I know that they’ve got lots of young players that have been nurtured into the squad, into the team.

"But, you do feel when you’ve got that little bit of quality, who can produce and score goals you do feel that there’s a possibility that he’ll be one that will be touted out - it’s whether they can keep hold of him," Hendrie told FLW.

The former England international highlighted QPR's reliance on younger players while acknowledging Celar's potential value to the club, particularly given his proven goalscoring record at previous clubs.

Hendrie warned that the second-tier is set to become even more competitive next season, making squad retention crucial for clubs looking to avoid any bother.

"I think they need to keep every player they’ve got at the moment and add to the squad, because I think this season in the Championship is going to be a lot more competitive and if they’re not careful by losing big players they can find themselves in a little bit of trouble," he continued.

His comments come as QPR finished 15th in 24/25, just five points above the relegation zone - and Celar was one of the more marquee signings for the West London outfit that summer, alongside Danish midfielder Nicolas Madsen, who joined from Belgian club Westerlo.

So far this summer the R's have made four signings, including making Karamoko Dembele's loan move permanent and securing Reading's Amadou Mbengue on a free transfer.

Whilst also signing somewhat unknown Australian full-back Kealey Adamson from Macarthur, perhaps the pick of the bunch is Kwame Poku - with QPR reportedly paying Peterborough United just £900k in compensation, for a player who managed 22 goal contributions across all competitions last season (12 goals, 10 assists).

Every one of these players is below the age of 24, and with Celar being only 26 himself, the potential for them all to develop together next season is something QPR supporters should perhaps be very excited about.

With the Championship's reputation as one of Europe's most demanding leagues only growing stronger, Hendrie's advice to retain quality while adding depth appears to be wise words - and Celar's small glimpses of quality suggest the Slovene should be given continued patience.