Southampton must hand 22-year-old a St Mary's escape route - QPR will surely pounce | OneFootball

Southampton should allow Ronnie Edwards to leave the club this month, and QPR should be keen on his services.

Southampton should allow defender Ronnie Edwards to leave St Mary's during the January transfer window, while QPR must be eager to re-sign the defender.

The Saints have endured a turbulent Championship campaign so far, and sit just 15th in the second tier after being hammered 4-0 by Middlesbrough on Sunday.

Tonda Eckert's men will hope to find respite from their league woes when they face League One strugglers Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Southampton have not tasted victory in the Championship since their 3-2 triumph over West Brom on 9 December, leaving them eight points adrift of the play-offs.

Southampton have to allow Ronnie Edwards to leave this month, and QPR will be interested in the defender

Edwards proved himself as one of the best centre-backs in the EFL throughout his time with former club Peterborough United, and deservedly earned a move to the Saints in the summer of 2024.

The former England Under-20 international made one Premier League appearance for the South Coast outfit last season before joining QPR on loan last January.

Edwards was a real asset for the R's in the Championship last term, helping the West Londoners land a 15th-place finish by showing his defensive class in 21 league appearances.

According to FotMob, the 22-year-old won 87 duels in the second tier for QPR last term, while also making 26 interceptions and completing 71 recoveries.

Despite his ability, Edwards has not made a start for Southampton since their 2-0 defeat to Preston North End on 1 November, and will be increasingly frustrated by his lack of game time.

The centre-half has struggled to beat Nathan Wood and Taylor Harwood-Bellis to a regular place in Eckert's starting lineup, proving the South Coast outfit's strong defensive depth, while youngster Joshua Quarshie has also made 11 league appearances.

Southampton may be open to facilitating Edwards's exit, as when discussing potential player exits with the Southern Daily Echo in late December, Eckert said: "In the end, I think every player needs to be looked at individually. There is a story for every player that started way before I came in.

"For every single one, we need to decide on what is best for the club, which always comes first, and what is best for the player, the group, and come to a decision."

The Saints simply cannot stifle the development of the ex-England youth international and must facilitate his exit either on loan or permanently this month.

Should Edwards become available in the current transfer window, QPR will jump at the opportunity to re-acquire his signature, thanks to the excellence he displayed at Loftus Road last term.

Alongside his defensive attributes, the former Peterborough man showcased his ability in possession, boasting an impressive pass accuracy of 86.7 per cent in the Championship throughout his loan spell with the R's, as per FotMob.

That is significantly better than the 77.7 per cent Jimmy Dunne has managed in the second tier for Julien Stephan's men this term, while fellow centre-back Steve Cook has a pass success rate of 82.7 per cent.

QPR can bolster play-off dream by re-signing Ronnie Edwards

Stephan's side moved to within three points of the play-offs by defeating Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, thanks to Rumarn Burrell's goal and Rayan Kolli's brace.

However, injuries to defensive stars such as Jake Clarke-Salter and Liam Morrison have left Stephan needing to make reinforcements to his backline this month.

Rather than remaining at Southampton, where he is enduring a lack of game time, Edwards has what it takes to help QPR in their quest to land a top-six spot.

Speaking about Edwards, Football League World's R's fan pundit Louis Moir said: "If Edwards was to come back, he slots straight back in really, doesn't' he? With Jimmy Dunne and him as the pairing, you'd imagine.We need to just do all we can to make it happen.

"Hopefully he comes back, because he is a top player and would make a massive difference to us at the back, because we don't really have many clean sheets, and we concede quite a few goals.

"Having him would not only help defensively, but as mad as it sounds, attacking wise as well, because the moves he started last season coming out from the back, playing really good on the ball. It would change the transition of the team, I think, so I'm praying he's a QPR player this month."

As alluded to by Louis, Edwards has the talent, both in and out of possession, to strengthen the West London outfit's chances of finishing in the top six, while Southampton must allow the defender to depart either on loan or permanently so he can continue developing his game.