QPR's Christian Nourry hailed as £4.5m transfer edges closer - "I'm beyond happy" | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit is delighted with the news that Ronnie Edwards is returning to Loftus Road permanently

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

QPR look set to kick off their January transfer window with a bang, as Ronnie Edwards - who excelled on loan at Loftus Road last season - looks poised to join the Hoops permanently.

The 22-year-old is reportedly set to cost QPR £4.5 million, and given the impact that he made in West London this time last year, Hoops fans believe that to be an absolute steal.

Edwards, who only joined Southampton in August 2024 after a great few seasons at Peterborough United, looked ready to break into the Saints side under Will Still, starting the final seven games of his stint at St Mary's.

But since then, the highly-rated England U21 international has played just seven Championship minutes across two games, before falling out of the squad completely in the last five as transfer talks intensified.

QPR fans hold Edwards in high regard, and many had thought that he would go on to bigger and better things after his loan spell last season.

But in an arguably unforeseen turn of events, the 22-year-old is now on his way back to Loftus Road. FLW's Hoops fan pundit, Louis Moir, now hopes that he can achieve those heights in their squad.

QPR fan pundit "delighted" with Ronnie Edwards transfer

Moir always had an inkling that Edwards would find his way back to QPR following his loan spell in the latter half of last term, as the fans really took to him.

Therefore, he is ecstatic with the news that the want-away Southampton man has chosen to return to Loftus Road a year on from first arriving at the club, and special praise has been reserved for young R's CEO Christian Nourry for getting the deal done.

"I am absolutely delighted that Ronnie Edwards is coming back," Louis told FLW.

"I just knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when, and the fact it's happened early on in January is brilliant news.

"You looked at what he did for us last season on loan, and he was a cut above the rest. It looked like we just drafted in a Premier League centre-half. He was that good, and he could become that and more!

"At his age, there's still a massive ceiling. Four and a half million might seem a lot for QPR; we're not used to spending that much recently, but for a player with Edwards' qualities, who is young, English, and with his displays last season, probably one of the best centre halves in the league, it's a good deal, all things considered.

"So I'm beyond happy, and fair play to Christian Nourry for getting this one over the line."

The arrival of Edwards for a reported £4.5 million is the first step in improving on what was a very positive summer transfer window in terms of youthful incomings and spending at Loftus Road.

The board at QPR spent seven-figure fees on the likes of Richard Kone, Rumarn Burrell and a returning Koki Saito after a good loan move the year prior, and, after add-ons, a seven-figure fee on Kwame Poku, too. All four are young, exciting forwards, and as a result, Julien Stephan's side has been one of the more exciting attacking sides in the Championship this season.

Unfortunately, the same positive stance cannot be made defensively, as only Sheffield Wednesday have conceded more than the Hoops. However, this move for Edwards will go a long way in helping the side fix that.

QPR fan pundit believes side will be "ten times" better with Ronnie Edwards addition

QPR's defensive mishaps can be attributed to a difficult campaign in terms of injuries thus far. Last season, Edwards started 20 straight matches until the end of the campaign, showing good availability, and was a bright spark in an otherwise troublesome backline.

Moir feels that the arrival of the 22-year-old on a permanent deal is just one of the "pieces of the puzzle," and that his side needs more defensive additions, but he's very happy with the first arrival to help fix that.

"We've had injuries with centre halves this season, so Edwards coming back permanently is unreal," Moir continued.

"Him coming back won't be enough for us to kick on — we need a goalkeeper and maybe a couple of others, given our injury problems — but what a massive piece to the puzzle!

"Just brilliant, brilliant news, and if he is anywhere near what he did for us last season in terms of performance level, that'll help us out massively. Not just defensively, too, but the way he progresses the ball out from the back will make a massive difference for us.

"I think he'll make us a ten times better side, so I'm absolutely delighted.

"I'm sure there would have been clubs with more money than us interested in him, and he wanted to come back to us — I can't wait to see it."

Evidently, Moir is looking forward to seeing the 22-year-old back out at Loftus Road, and his opinions will be reflected in the minds of almost every other QPR fan, too.

Not only due to the quality he brings to the field, but also given that it continues to show the intent and willingness of the board to continue adding to the side as they look to crash into the top six either by the end of this season or in the coming years.