QPR could have a Charlie Austin 2.0 on their hands | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers have another exciting striker on their hands

Queens Park Rangers have started the 2025/26 Championship campaign in mixed fashion despite enjoying an exciting summer window.

Julien Stephan’s side sit 18th in the table with just four points to their name at the September international break and have crashed out of the EFL Cup at the hands of League One side Plymouth Argyle.

A 7-1 defeat against Coventry City raised eyebrows and subsequently led to early questions about Stephan’s ability to lead Rangers forward. However, the West London outfit responded with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Charlton Athletic, their first win of the season.

QPR recruited a number of exciting talents in the transfer window, adding the likes of Kwame Poku, Koki Saito and Rumarn Burrell to their ranks. That said, perhaps the most lauded piece of business was the deal they struck for Richard Kone.

Acquired for a fee of £2.75 million, which could eventually rise to £5 million, the striker arrived at Loftus Road with the task of heading up the Queens Park Rangers frontline.

So far, this looks to have been an excellent piece of business, with the 22-year-old netting twice in his first three games for the club.

These goals were added to with a Player of the Match performance against Charlton, which has created much excitement among the QPR fanbase over the prospect they have on their hands.

Naturally, following his flying start, comparisons can be made to one of the Rs’ deadliest operators in recent times.

Richard Kone could follow Charlie Austin route to success

Kone has reached the Championship level in unique fashion when compared to the large majority of players throughout the division.

Just six years ago, the Ivorian was representing his nation at the 2019 Homeless World Cup before moving to England in a bid to make it as a professional footballer.

With Athletic Newham in the Eastern Counties League Division One South, Kone scored 20 times in 31 appearances, which helped the side win promotion to the Essex Senior League.

The following year, he netted 42 goals in 48 games, which began to seriously alert the attention of professional clubs.

Wycombe Wanderers offered Kone a trial and after impressing, he was signed permanently in January 2024. From there, the rest is history, and interesting parallels can be made to one of QPR’s finest ever forwards.

Charlie Austin signed for Queens Park Rangers in 2013 and was an instant hit at Loftus Road, netting 19 times in 34 Championship appearances during the 2013/14 campaign, ultimately achieving promotion to the Premier League.

His goalscoring exploits heightened in the top-flight, famously scoring 18 goals for QPR in the 2014/15 season. Only Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Diego Costa bested this total, which highlights the level Austin was performing at.

Similar to Kone, Austin made his name in non-league, operating out of sides such as Kintbury Rangers, Hungerford Town and Thatcham Town.

It was with Poole Town where the striker really came to prominence, scoring 48 goals in 42 games, which caught the interest of Swindon Town.

The traits gained through non-league football can make footballers unique in their style of play and this is a similarity both Kone and Austin share. The aggressive nature of striker it produces has worked well for QPR in the past and their supporters will be hoping that history is about to repeat itself.

Richard Kone will dream of leaving a similar QPR legacy as Charlie Austin

Kone image credit - Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

Kone’s start to life at Loftus Road has been promising and at 22 years of age, there is still plenty of time for him to develop as a footballer.

He is still a far cry away from matching the performances Austin produced for Rangers, but the similarities between the two will no doubt excite the West London outfit’s fanbase.

If he can continue scoring goals at his current rate, QPR may struggle to retain Kone’s services in the future as sides further up English football’s pyramid begin to take notice.

However, if he can drag Rangers up the Championship and back towards the Premier League, he could earn himself a similar position to Austin within the club’s folklore.