"Obviously a concern" - Pundit makes Marti Cifuentes claim as Burnley eye QPR man | OneFootball

Highlights

Marti Cifuentes may not have been at QPR for very long, but he's already become an incredibly popular figure at Loftus Road.

The Spaniard was an unknown quantity when he took the reins in West London back in November, but he helped steer the club away from what looked to be a likely relegation, and secured the Hoops' Championship status for another season.

Having done such a good job at Loftus Road, it seemed inevitable that other clubs would be interested in the 41-year-old this summer, and so it's proved, with Burnley reportedly one of Cifuentes' admirers.

It would be a surprise if it was only Burnley who were interested in the Spaniard this summer, and QPR could face a battle to keep him at Loftus Road.

Carlton Palmer believes QPR will face a battle to keep Marti Cifuentes

Former England international and current pundit Carlton Palmer believes that QPR could be a victim of their own success when it comes to keeping Marti Cifuentes at the club.

Speaking to Football League World, Palmer said: "QPR stayed up last season with six points to spare after winning their last three games.

"It was a remarkable turnaround from Cifuentes, and because of that there’s going to be interest in QPR’s manager, and one of those clubs who are looking at Cifuentes is Burnley, who have just lost their manager Vincent Kompany to Bayern Munich.

“I think there will be a lot of clubs looking at the job that Cifuentes has done at QPR, but I’m sure that if he’s given the chance to do some work in the transfer window in the summer, he’ll be looking to push QPR towards the play-offs next season. “Of course, it’s a worry for all the clubs with managers who have done well. Sheffield Wednesday obviously have the same with Danny Rohl, who has signed again.

"It remains to be seen now whether Cifuntes will be offered an extension to his contract, and whether he’ll continue the impressive work he’s done, but obviously, it’s a concern for QPR at this present moment in time.”

Losing Marti Cifuentes would be a huge blow for QPR

After their promising end to the season, there's a genuine belief that QPR could really build on that and perhaps even target the play-off places next season.

However, if they were to lose Marti Cifuentes, they'd be back to square one, and would have to do it all over next season.

It's clear that Cifuentes could build something special at QPR, and he's very popular with fans and players alike, so losing him would be inconceivable.

Of course, if a club with a bigger budget and who were able to offer better wages came in for Cifuentes, there's nothing they could do to stop him leaving, but they must give him reassurances this summer that he will be backed in a bid to keep him at the club.

Cifuentes is the best manager that QPR have had in years, and if they keep him this summer, there's no reason why they can't be in the mix for promotion in the years to come.