Murphy signs: Identifying 3 ideal Chris Willock replacements for QPR | OneFootball

Highlights

The upcoming pre-season will be the first full opportunity Marti Cifuentes has to mould Queens Park Rangers into a side he can very much call his own.

After being appointed as head coach in October 2023 with the R's firmly in the relegation mire, Cifuentes was able to galvanise a squad previously down on its luck to one which would end up being the ninth-best performing team across his first 32 matches in charge - winning 13 of those and accumulating 48 points, eventually finishing in 18th place, six points clear of the Championship relegation zone.

Many have tipped Rangers to go from strength to strength under his management, despite the fact the club looks set to lose Chris Willock on a free transfer, with Norwich City and Sunderland mooted as potential destinations for the 26-year-old winger.

Cifuentes unsurprisingly expressed his desire to keep Willock at the club, but those chances seem to be fading. With that in mind, Football League World have pinpointed three potential replacements QPR should consider in the upcoming transfer window.

Josh Murphy

Kick-starting this trio is Oxford United's recent Wembley hero, Josh Murphy.

At 29 years of age, the winger would offer his current employers a breadth of Championship experience from his previous stints at Norwich City and Cardiff City. Therefore, it's unsurprising that talks are ongoing to keep him at the Kassam Stadium, with the U's experiencing a similar predicament to the aforementioned Willock at Loftus Road.

However, if the man who netted twice in the play-off final against Bolton Wanderers - on top of six goals in 28 appearances in the regular season - was to seek a new challenge, Rangers should look to take full advantage, as a plethora of Championship clubs are said to be interested alongside them.

In the short-term, Murphy would definitely have a point to prove in the second tier, and there could be worse ways of replacing Willock's services, especially with a player of his calibre on a free transfer.

Fred Onyedinma

Similarly to Murphy, although already confirmed this time around, another free transfer that could replace Willock's goals and assists comes in the form of Fred Onyedinma, released by Luton Town following their relegation back to the second tier.

A seasoned Championship-standard player, the Nigerian also registered two goals and as many assists during the first half of last season on loan at Rotherham United, before making eight appearances for the Hatters in the Premier League.

Throughout his time at Kenilworth Road, the former Millwall man continued to showcase his dynamism and end product on occasions with three goals and seven assists, as well as being utilised as a wing-back, not shying away from his defensive duties, which could make him stand out to Cifuentes in that regard, as Rangers' defensive resolve only grew stronger as last season progressed.

It would represent another potential 'low-risk, high-reward' signing, with Onyedinma still having plenty to offer at the peak stage of his career, aged 27.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

Rounding off this trio is Crystal Palace's Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who has seen his name linked to an array of Championship sides on a temporary basis.

However, he has proved that acquiring his services on loan could prove to be a stroke of genius, as he enjoyed a fruitful 2022/23 campaign on loan at Charlton Athletic - recording 15 goals and eight assists - before being in and around the first team picture at Selhurst Park, despite not featuring on all too many occasions.

Rak-Sakyi's estimated salary is also only £7,500 per week, which is a reasonable amount for the R's to pay given their well-documented financial limitations, and for the player himself, it presents a great opportunity to prove himself in one of the toughest leagues in Europe, before hopefully emulating the likes of Ebere Eze, who shone in Blue and White Hoops before going on to further his career in South London.