QPR transfer raid for Sunderland outcast looks tempting - It may be a mistake though | OneFootball

Anthony Patterson has been linked with a potential switch to Loftus Road

Queens Park Rangers have, like many of their Championship rivals, endured a mixed opening four months of the Championship campaign, yet firmly remain amongst the clutch of sides in the play-off picture.

The West London side have been a fairly entertaining and unpredictable watch under Julien Stephan as a result, with goals certainly flying in at both ends of the pitch at Loftus Road. However, only one side of this particular coin will, unsurprisingly, please the newly-appointed Frenchman.

Rangers are looking to make strides of progress up the standings after a handful of below-par finishes under Gareth Ainsworth and Marti Cifuentes, and there was plenty of hope that Stephan could be the man to achieve said objectives when taking his pedigree at Stade Rennais and RC Strasbourg into account.

Such hopes were only heightened when the capital club enjoyed a rather exciting summer recruitment drive, particularly in an attacking sense, as Koki Saito returned to W12 on a permanent basis, as well as the further attacking additions of Kwame Poku, Richard Kone and Rumarn Burrell, with the latter, in particular, proving an inspired transfer from Burton Albion of League One, scoring nine goals thus far.

Yet, for as good as the aforementioned quartet can be, as well as individual names within other departments of Stephan's squad, it is rather evident that goalkeeper has been an early problem position for the 45-year-old.

Stephan has rotated between both Joe Walsh and the experienced Paul Nardi across the 21 games played so far, with the latter also looking far from convincing on multiple occasions.

As such, a reported swoop for Sunderland outcast and two-time promotion winner, Anthony Patterson, looks a solid deal at face value. However, it is fair to say that the 25-year-old didn't have the most amazing of personal campaigns despite the Black Cats' promotion.

Patterson has previously been an extremely highly-rated goalkeeper even beyond the confines of the Stadium of Light, initially asserting his position as the club's starting goalkeeper during the latter stages of their four-year spell in League One.

Over time, the homegrown talent had been linked with moves to the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City, showcasing the Premier League potential which many thought the North Shields native would go on to fulfill.

Naturally, many expected there to be a handful of errors showcased on Wearside last season throughout Regis Le Bris' young squad. However, Patterson didn't exactly cover himself in glory on occasions, with a high-profile blunder against Hull City in February causing plenty of debate.

To his credit, the former Notts County loanee was able to keep a strong number of shutouts throughout the 46-game regular season as the North East side remained amongst the promotion front-runners for the vast majority of the campaign.

14 clean sheets were kept throughout 45 appearances across all competitions. Yet, when delving into the underlying numbers, Rangers supporters may have a handful of reservations before a concrete move is made by Stephan and those in the boardroom.

Whilst the likes of Burnley's record-breaking man between the sticks in James Trafford and Viktor Johansson of Stoke City earned their sides vital points due to a double-figure tally of goals prevented, the pendulum swung the completely other way with Patterson, who ended the season on -1.5 goals prevented, the 16th-best overall number in comparison to his divisional colleagues.

However, this was still a more respectable tally than Nardi, who conceded 21 more goals whilst keeping the Hoops net, and ended the campaign with a figure of -3.7 goals prevented.

Julien Stephan has clear goalkeeping dilemma at Queens Park Rangers heading into 2026

As previously mentioned, Nardi's performances have created a sense of nervousness amongst supporters in West London, and this was highlighted throughout their 2-1 victory against Birmingham City last Tuesday, where the 31-year-old was criticised for his decision-making when dangerous crosses from Demarai Gray and Patrick Roberts became goalbound.

The Frenchman is also said to be out-of-contract next summer, adding to the question marks over a long-term number one, with Walsh only making a handful of first-team appearances despite earning a contract extension in pre-season.

Patterson has also been linked with a switch to Southampton and Leicester City, and could be swayed by a move to St Mary's or the King Power Stadium due to the two club's recent pedigree as promotion winners as he looks for regular gametime after Sunderland moved for Robin Roefs in the summer, who has quickly become their first-choice in the Premier League.