'What a shame' - QPR star tipped to leave Loftus Road | OneFootball

FLW's QPR Fan Pundit has weighed in on the future of Jake Clarke-Salter with the defender out with another injury.

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 have found themselves back in the race for the play-off places in recent weeks, as the battle for the top six continues to get tighter and tighter in the Championship.

The R's are currently 13th in the table after 31 games, and they are just three points off Wrexham, who occupy that final play-off position. Nevertheless, Julien Stephan's side need to find more consistency in the coming months if they are to take that final leap.

The West London outfit face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon as they look to make it back-to-back home wins in the league following an excellent victory over Coventry City during their last match at Loftus Road, although they were held by Charlton Athletic at the Valley last weekend.

QPR will once again be without Jake Clarke-Salter. The defender has returned to training after his latest injury setback, and there will be questions about his future at the club.

QPR told that they must part ways with Jake Clarke-Salter in the summer transfer window

The 28-year-old has made just four league appearances for the R's so far in 2025/26, with those all coming in November and December. He has spent the last seven weeks out injured, having started the campaign in the treatment room.

It is a familiar situation for Clarke-Salter, and when asked if the club should sell him in the summer transfer window, Football League World's QPR Fan Pundit, Louis Moir, said: "Unfortunately, I think in the summer Jake Clarke-Salter Clark has to leave the club. I mean, I'd be surprised if anyone takes a punt on him. Just his record of his injury problems, it's getting to a point now where it's just nowhere near sustainable. He's just not playing games.

"He came back, played, and seemingly got an injury, and it's like no one knows what it is and how long he's out for. It's just such a shame because if he was fit, he's one of the best centre-backs in the league. He’s left-footed, he is a top player, but I think if he was fit, he'd probably be playing in the Premier League.

"Obviously, the club have stuck by him, giving him a new deal. I think he must be thinking now that he’s probably going to end up leaving the club in the summer. At the end of the day, it comes down to costing the club wages for a player who is nowhere to be seen."

Louis continued: "It's a real, real shame because it's nothing against him whatsoever. You can see how much it means to him when he's trying to get back fit and playing, and we know just how good he is. But what can you do? It gets to a certain point where you have to just cut ties.

"But I seriously don't know what the sort of future holds for Clarke-Salter now, because, say he does leave us in the summer, do a club just sign him and pray and hope that he somehow stays fit and plays even more than half of a season? Is that realistic? Is it going to happen? Probably not.

"What a shame, honestly, for a player of his quality. But he's not the only player, he won't be the first, nor the last, who has these severe injury problems where he just seems to be out for essentially a very, very long part or for a whole season. It’s very disappointing, and I can see the club getting rid in the summer."

Jake Clarke-Salter's QPR career has flattered to deceive

At 28, there is no denying the fact that Clarke-Salter should have played more games in his career than he currently has, especially when the talent that he possesses is taken into account.

However, constant injury problems have left him stuck on the sidelines and in the physio's room. Most notably, his time at QPR has been a major disappointment and he has played just 15 times over the course of the last two seasons in the Championship.

It has had a major impact on his development, and the R's must acknowledge that they cannot afford to keep paying for a player who struggles for fitness so often.

If Clarke-Salter can get himself back fit, and maintain that level, then there is no reason why he cannot have a successful Championship career. However, this will be an extremely frustrating situation for the defender to find himself in.