QPR facing strange Ilias Chair situation - Julien Stephan must take action | OneFootball

Ilias Chair has been out of the Queens Park Rangers spotlight this season with injury woes

It's been a frustrating season for Queens Park Rangers supporters, who, at the beginning of the campaign, felt they had a real chance of finally breaking into the top six this year.

Although that is still within the realms of possibility, it would take some incredible form between now and the end of the season to achieve that.

After a busy summer and the arrival of former Stade Rennes and Strasbourg boss Julien Stephan in the Loftus Road dugout, it looked as though QPR were in for a good year, with just as big a chance to break into the top six as any other side.

The likes of Richard Kone joined from Wycombe, Koki Saito from Lommel SK after a successful loan spell, Rumarn Burrell after thriving for Burton Albion, and Kwame Poku from Peterborough United after cementing himself as one of the most outstanding wingers in League One.

Whilst their forward area underwent a big revamp, it has left other areas of the side depleted as a result, which may prove to be their ultimate downfall this campaign.

With an array of attacking additions made over the summer, it's easy to forget about one of the club's senior figures, having fallen out of the spotlight this season due to several injury woes.

Ilias Chair's current situation at QPR is confusing

Moroccan winger Ilias Chair is now in his seventh full season at QPR, having joined the club in January 2017 after a successful trial.

Now 28, Chair spent the second half of the 2018/19 campaign out on loan with Stevenage in League Two, where it very quickly became apparent that he was a level or two above the competition, scoring six and assisting six in 16 league games for the Hertfordshire outfit.

This was enough to propel him into first-team contention the following campaign at Loftus Road, and since then, Chair has been one of the R’s best players year after year, as he closes in on 300 appearances across all competitions for the club.

However, this season has seen him take a step out of the spotlight, with just 11 league appearances and just one goal to show for his efforts thus far, with a number of injury problems keeping him out of action.

His last appearance came all the way back at the beginning of December, and this has clearly hurt QPR’s form, with the club winning just five league games during his absence.

Now, with the likes of Poku, Saito, Paul Smyth, Karamoko Dembele, and Rayan Kolli for competition, Chair is no longer one of the first names on the team sheet, even when he does return to fitness.

At 28, he ought to be in the prime of his career, yet instead he finds himself out of the picture and somewhat forgotten at Loftus Road, which even a couple of years ago would sound almost impossible.

Manager Stephan will have a big decision to make in the summer regarding the future of Chair, who signed a new long-term deal with the club back in January 2025.

Julien Stephan must make a big call over Ilias Chair this summer at QPR

With the Championship season approaching its final stages, the time to make a decision regarding the future of Chair at Loftus Road is edging ever nearer for Stephan.

With his long-term future committed to QPR, he’s not likely to leave for the cheap, though given his injury record over the past year or so, it’s hard to see any team coming in and stumping up a significant amount for him at this stage.

With younger options on the flank in Saito, Poku, and Dembele in particular, Stephan may be better off building his side around one of those, as they once did with Chair in years prior.

The Moroccan is due to return to action before the end of the season, where R’s fans will be hoping to see the player that they have become accustomed to over the years.

These final games will likely play a significant role in shaping Chair’s future, as if he can show what he is capable of once more, he could remain a big part of the Frenchman’s plan going forward. If he can’t, then his future with the club he joined back in 2017 will be cast in major doubt.