'£10m-£15m' - Richard Kone backed to make QPR "a lot of money" after Sky Sports man's prediction | OneFootball

FLW's QPR Fan Pundit has his say on Lee Hendrie's claim regarding the former Wycombe Wanderers striker

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…

There is added belief Queens Park Rangers striker Richard Kone could fetch the West London club a huge windfall if he continues his impressive form, after Lee Hendrie tipped the striker as one of three Championship players destined for big money moves.

The 22-year-old Ivorian has already netted four goals in eight Championship appearances since his summer move from Wycombe Wanderers, which was reported to be around the £5m mark.

In an exclusive interview with FLW, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie identified Kone alongside Leicester City duo Abdul Fatawu and Jeremy Monga as Championship stars he expects to be sold for substantial fees in the near future.

Regarding Kone, this hasn't taken some by surprise in West London...

Richard Kone labelled as "such a dangerous" player for QPR to have

Kone image credit - Benji Walker (@benjiwalkerphoto)

Hendrie's prediction has resonated strongly with FLW's QPR Fan Pundit, Louis Moir, particularly given Kone's explosive start to life in the Championship.

"I’m not surprised by this because the way Kone’s started the season - he’s been on fire, and it’s not just the goals so far it’s his overall play," Moir explained when asked about Hendrie's assessment.

"He’s a really intelligent player, and I think you take away his goals but the way he performs overall, he’s such a dangerous player to have, he’s really hard to defend against and I’ve just been so impressed," Moir added.

The Fan Pundit's enthusiasm stems from more than just early-season form though - Kone's journey from Essex Senior League football with Athletic Newham to becoming one of the Championship's most talked-about forwards has been nothing short of remarkable.

After scoring 125 goals in 148 appearances for Newham in non-league, he joined Wycombe Wanderers in January last year and quickly established himself as one of League One's standout players.

Kone ended his time with the Chairboys as both the division’s Player and Young Player of the Season for 24/25 - he scored 18 league goals in 43 appearances while providing three assists.

"It’s not come as a shock," Moir continued, "because when we signed him I just expected goals and that’s what we’re getting and touchwood he’s the man we’ve been missing up front for all these recent years."

The amount of money Richard Kone could fetch QPR

Moir believes the R's secured an exceptional bargain when they agreed the initial fee with Wycombe. "Obviously with the money we spent on him, it was a bargain deal really for a player of his quality and age really - he’s still only 22 which is scary really because you can think how good is he going to get and Wycombe have got a sell-on clause when he eventually leaves us," Moir noted.

He then stated confidently, "I just think now, with him proving already that he can do it in this league, there’s no doubt about his quality and potential. I just think he could be worth at the moment, around £10m-£15m. That’s sort of minimum."

However, he believes this could be just the beginning of Kone's value trajectory. "The way he could potentially end this season with the amount of goals he could score, we could be talking about a twenty odd million pound striker here, that will only benefit us because on the pitch, he’s doing it for us."

There’s no denying that the striker's performances have been instrumental in QPR's impressive run of form, with the club currently sitting sixth in the Championship table following a run of four wins from six unbeaten matches.

Furthermore, the Fan Pundit recognises that while promotion would be the ideal scenario to retain their star asset, Kone's performances are probably already attracting attention that could prove difficult to resist.

"If we go up, hopefully we can keep him. Off the pitch, if he was to move on already after a year or not, he’s going to be worth a lot of money," he said.

"I’d be saying at the moment around ten, fifteen million, but that could rise rapidly at the end of the year," Moir concluded.

Ultimately, with Lee Hendrie's prediction and Kone's form showing no signs of slowing, QPR fans like Moir can dream of either promotion success with their star striker or a potential big windfall.