QPR reaction given to big Rayan Kolli demand at Loftus Road - 'Stephan was spot on' | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit hopes that Rayan Kolli can work his way back into the squad, after Julien Stephan explained why he is yet to be involved

QPR are heading into the first international break of the campaign sitting sixth in the Championship, with their only defeat in eight league games coming narrowly at the hands of Middlesbrough.

It's been a very good start to Julien Stephan's second campaign in the dugout. The Hoops had yet another ambitious transfer window, following on from the two last season, and the feeling around Loftus Road is that this squad is the best they've had in quite some time.

QPR have finished no higher than 15th in the last four seasons and have only finished in the top 10 once in the 11 years since they came back down to the Championship.

Evidently, alongside bringing in top-level players, Stephan is looking to develop a play-off-challenging mindset and attitude in the players, too, and that's seen promising youngster Rayan Kolli left out of every matchday squad in the opening stages of the season.

What Julien Stephan said about Rayan Kolli's absence in a recent fans forum

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Kolli has emerged as one of the brighter young stars in the QPR fold over the past couple of seasons. He scored six in all competitions last year, following on from five the year before.

So far this season, though, the 21-year-old hasn't featured in a matchday squad, let alone seen the pitch, with the likes of Alfie Lloyd and 17-year-old Leon Scarlett given the nod ahead of him during Richard Kone's recent injury.

With no real knowledge of Kolli's status at the club, he was, understandably, a topic of conversation at a recent fans' forum, to which Julien Stephan was open and honest about why the young Algerian hadn't been given game time.

"The situation is very clear for Rayan, like with the other players; my door is always open,' Stephan said.

"But, in fact, the question for us now is how we can bridge the gap between the best teams and us. That is just the reality. I think the last three or four years, we've finished 15th as the best position, and that's it.

"The only answer I can give you right now is to put the standouts here and to put the level here. If we do that, if we have full involvement and commitment and players willing to work every day, we will reduce the gap."

QPR fan pundit backs Julien Stephan's decision to leave Rayan Kolli out if he isn't showing the right commitment

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While everyone inside Loftus Road knows the potential that Kolli has, no player is bigger than the team, and if Julien Stephan isn't seeing enough commitment and involvement from the 21-year-old, then ultimately they'd rather have players who are.

FLW's QPR fan pundit, Louis Moir, appreciated the transparency shown by Stephan at the fans' forum and is a little frustrated that Kolli isn't showing the dedication required to be a regular part of the squad.

"I think Stephan was spot on when he came out and had that passionate outburst at the fans' forum when discussing the Kolli situation," he said.

"I think a lot of people gathered what was going on behind the scenes and why he wasn't involved, and it turned out to be exactly that. Kolli isn't matching the rest of the squad when it comes to togetherness and work ethic, and he clearly still has a long way to go to get back into the squad.

"It's a shame, because we want to see Kolli. We know what he's capable of, and we've seen him score a few goals because he's clinical, and it would make sense to have him playing."

Kolli's five Championship goals last season came from just 10 on target at an expected goals tally of 2.96.

As Moir said, he knows how to take chances, and with QPR taking the fourth-most shots on target per game and being a play-off level side in terms of big chances created and xG generated, having someone with that clinical edge would be a big boost to what has already been a good season for the R's so far.

QPR fan pundit hopes there's a way back for Rayan Kolli at Loftus Road this season

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In the same fans' forum, QPR CEP Christian Nourry explained that Kolli came close to leaving the club on loan in the summer, but the 21-year-old rejected several options he deemed unsuitable.

Moir suggested that's a fair reflection of his mindset, which could present a bit of a problem, and outlined why he's yet to feature over some fellow youngsters who, in his opinion, don't have the talent the Algerian has.

"I still think there's a chance he goes in January," he continued. "It sounded like he was really close to leaving in the summer; he just wasn't interested in the clubs that were interested in him, and maybe that's where the problem lies.

"Maybe he feels he's better than the clubs offered to him, and that's where the attitude and commitment problems come from?"

That being said, Kolli is, for the time being, still a QPR player, and the fan pundit hopes he can sort his attitude out in the near future, as he'd be a good option for a Hoops side pushing to land in the expanded play-offs come May.

"No one wants Kolli to do well as much as us QPR fans," the fan pundit added. "He has the ability and potential; he just needs to work his way back in now.

"He'd give us another option up front, especially with how Kone's season has gone so far. We've been light up there, so hopefully this can all end well, and he does come back into the squad to work for his place.

"We've seen with the likes of Lloyd and Scarlett; these young lads are getting opportunities. Kolli's got more talent than these players; he just needs to apply himself better.