QPR set to sign Coventry City player as surprise transfer deal | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers have agreed a shock deal to sign Coventry City forward Justin Obikwu, who has been recalled from his loan with Lincoln City.

Queens Park Rangers have agreed an unexpected transfer with Championship leaders Coventry for one of their youngsters, as the west London side look to solve their injury issues at the top end of the pitch.

The Hoops have already bolstered their defensive ranks in the January transfer window by signing Ronnie Edwards from Southampton, and boss Julien Stephan has now turned his attention to his side's attack.

Julien Stephan's side drew 0-0 with Stoke City on Saturday, leaving them just four points adrift of the Championship play-offs with 19 games left to play.

Stephan's men travel to Oxford United this Tuesday and will be eager to earn a win that could prove vital in their hunt to earn a top-six spot come the end of the season - and they could have a new striker available for it too.

QPR agree deal to sign Justin Obikwu from Coventry City

QPR top scorer Rumarn Burrell has been ruled out of Championship action until March, courtesy of an injury, with the experienced Michael Frey also set to exit the club before the end of the month.

Therefore, Stephan has utilised the transfer window to add to his attacking ranks, as his side vie to beat the likes of Preston North End and Stoke to a play-off place.

According to journalist Pete O'Rourke via X, the R's have agreed a deal to sign Coventry forward Obikwu, who has been on loan with Lincoln City in the third tier of English football in the first half of the season.

The west London club's swoop for the 21-year-old comes as a surprise because he has scored just three goals in 17 League One appearances for the Imps, with the majority of his appearances coming off the bench.

The youngster has not scored since the League One club's 3-2 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers on November 22, but he's set to earn himself a move to another Championship club, with Coventry set to cash in on the academy graduate.

Justin Obikwu's goal-scoring record is a potential concern for QPR

Obikwu is a Coventry academy product, but he has never made a senior appearance for the Sky Blues, instead enduring loan spells with both Grimsby Town and Lincoln.

It makes sense from the Midlands club's point of view to cash in on the 21-year-old's services, but QPR supporters may be more puzzled by the deal.

The striker scored just three goals in 16 League Two appearances for Grimsby while on loan with the Mariners in the second half of the 2023/24 season.

Obikwu then went on to spend the entirety of the 2024/25 season on loan at Blundell Park, this time notching seven goals and one assist in 22 appearances across all competitions.

However, the Trinidad and Tobago international was unable to adjust to League One this term and failed to provide a regular threat for Lincoln.

Therefore, QPR may struggle to get a tune out of the forward at Championship level, as he has never established prolific form in either the third tier or the fourth tier.

Amid Burrell's injury setback, the R's need another goalscorer, as striker Richard Kone has notched just five goals in 25 second-tier appearances this term, despite being an overall presence at the top end of the pitch.

However, Obikwu's exploits with Grimsby and Lincoln do not suggest that he is the right man to spearhead QPR towards the play-off places, especially in Burrell's absence.