New Burnley transfer update could hand QPR major boost | OneFootball

Burnley are looking at bringing in Anel Ahmedhodzic, which could spell the end of their pursuit of Ronnie Edwards

QPR began their Championship campaign in the best possible way, winning 3-1 away at Portsmouth to top the table after the first round of games.

There's some quiet excitement surrounding the Hoops after a few ambitious transfer windows in the past year, where young players with high ceilings have been targeted, meaning their natural improvement could see them surprise a few critics this season.

The jewel in their crown during the January transfer window was former England Under-21 international Ronnie Edwards, who joined from Southampton for £4.5 million, returning to the club after a successful loan spell during the 2024/25 campaign to help shore up the defence.

The 23-year-old was earmarked as one of the EFL's brightest young English stars when Southampton brought him to the club from Peterborough United, and this time last year, he was lining up in the Saints side under Will Still, who had title-winning ambitions.

Burnley had registered interest in Ronnie Edwards this summer

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In some ways, QPR fans couldn't believe their luck when they re-signed Edwards, as it was clear when he returned to Southampton at the end of his loan spell that he had the potential to go right to the top.

And while it didn't work out for him back at St Mary's, that doesn't mean that the potential has disappeared, and Burnley recognised that in the early stages of the transfer window.

In mid-July, it was reported that the recently relegated Premier League side, who had just lost star defender Maxime Esteve, were interested in replacing him with Edwards, as they looked to help the 23-year-old realise his Premier League potential with them.

While the Hoops have those ambitions themselves, and Edwards will be a key part of building towards that, a side coming down from the top flight would have the ability to reach that quickly, much quicker than the QPR side, who are at the start of their project, and the money to prise the defender away from Loftus Road.

Understandably, Hoops fans were hoping he'd stay, and with the reports dying down over the last month, it seems that'll be the case.

Burnley's interest in Anel Ahmedhodzic could spell end of Ronnie Edwards pursuit

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Burnley are still in need of a new centre-back addition this summer, but it seems that they've switched their focus to former Sheffield United man Anel Ahmedhodzic to fill that gap in the backline.

Per the Sheffield Star, Burnley and Southampton are leading the race for the Bosnian, who was key in the Blades' 92-point campaign in the 2024/25 term, which ended in play-off heartache in the final against Sunderland.

Heading into the final year of his contract last summer, he was sold to Feyenoord for £7 million, but could be available to make an EFL return one year on for just £4 million. That cut-price isn't due to a lack of game time, though, as he started all 26 games he was available for in the Eredivisie.

The Dutch side are willing to move Ahmedhodzic on for financial reasons, and Burnley could be the Championship club to benefit from it. Inadvertently, it may benefit QPR, too.

Keeping Ronnie Edwards would be a massive boost for QPR this summer

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Edwards is very much a fan favourite at Loftus Road; keeping him at the club this season would help keep the atmosphere around the club positive, while also giving Julien Stephan's side a massive boost on the field, too.

The 23-year-old played in the heart of the midfield on opening day against Portsmouth, a position he played sporadically while at Peterborough, adding another layer to his game and making him even more of an important piece in Julien Stephan's side.

You'd imagine that, when Nicolas Madsen returns from injury, or the likes of Glen Kamara and Jonathan Varane are ready to play full 90s, he'll drop into the backline once more, making the squad much more balanced and defensively strong.

Good defensive numbers could lead QPR to an outsider's play-off push

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Last season, QPR conceded 16 more goals than their underlying numbers suggested they should have. The Hoops were a mid-table side when it came to expected goals conceded, but in reality, only Sheffield Wednesday shipped more.

Not having any stability in goal didn't help - Julien Stephan gave league minutes to three different keepers last year - but it felt that, last summer especially, a lot of work was being done to upgrade the forward options, instead of the backline.

This summer has, therefore, been a bit of an inverse. Two new goalkeepers have come in the form of Pierce Charles and Calum Ward, while the full-back positions have been bolstered with the arrivals of Dennis Cirkin, Tariq Lampety and Boy Kemper.

Keeping Edwards as part of that backline will be as important as making those signings, though, as he has the quality right now to be a top-level Championship centre-back - and even excel at a higher level in due course.

With him leading next to Jimmy Dunne, those underlying defensive numbers could improve even more, and with someone as capable at shot-stopper as Charles is in goal, this QPR side could be ready to take that next step up the table towards the top eight.