QPR broke Burnley hearts with transfer that hit the jackpot | OneFootball

The R’s completed a sensational piece of transfer business by bringing Charlie Austin to Loftus Road from Burnley.

During the summer of 2013, Queens Park Rangers were gearing up for their return to the Championship after relegation from the Premier League.

Led by Harry Redknapp, the R’s finished at the foot of the top-flight table and were aiming to build a squad good enough to deliver success in the second-tier and return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

During the summer transfer window of the 2013-14 campaign, QPR recruited a significant number of players to attack the Championship, with the likes of Niko Kranjcar, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Richard Dunne linking up in West London.

In the forward line, QPR completed the signing of Charlie Austin, who was coming off the back of successful goal-scoring seasons at Burnley at that level.

Prior to his exit from Turf Moor, Austin had scored 24 goals in 37 appearances in the second-tier, with the R’s paying a reported £4 million for his services.

Austin would go on to more than repay that investment at the time, continuing his goal-scoring trail to transform himself into a cult-hero at Loftus Road.

Charlie Austin’s superb time at QPR

Adapting to a new system, Charlie Austin made his debut for QPR off the bench in a narrow victory against Sheffield Wednesday, and from that point on, he would make regular starts and be the main man to lead the line for Harry Redknapp.

After notching two early assists, Austin finally grabbed his first goal for his new club in matchday six against Birmingham City, which led to him netting a further five goals in as many games as he entered an impressive goal-scoring spree.

For the second half of the season, Austin was a lot less active and missed 15 games in total, but it still didn’t prevent him from finding the back of the net. He would go on to score in the final three Championship games as the R’s cemented their place in the play-offs, with Austin registering 17 goals for the regular season.

The now 36-year-old played an instrumental role in the semi-final against Wigan Athletic. After a goalless first leg, Austin scored both goals to see the R’s clinch a 2-1 victory over the Latics in extra time to earn them a Wembley showdown with Derby County.

QPR would go on to seal a place back in the Premier League after a dramatic last-minute winner from Bobby Zamora, despite QPR facing a barrage of Derby County attacks following Gary O'Neil’s sending off.

Making it back to the big time, Austin would hit his stride and become a goal-scoring magnet at the top of the English game.

Austin finished as the fourth-highest scorer in the top flight for the 2014/15 campaign with 18 goals, but it still wasn’t enough to stop the club from plunging immediately back into the Championship.

His standout performances attracted the attention of other Premier League clubs that summer, but Leicester City had a reported bid of £12 million knocked back, with Austin opting to remain with the R’s in the second-tier once again.

Austin would go on to feature 16 times during the first half of the 2015-16 season, scoring nine goals, but QPR would eventually sanction his exit during the January transfer window, as Austin sealed a move to Southampton for just £4 million.

The prolific frontman would spend four seasons on the South Coast before moving to West Brom, where he recorded another promotion out of the Championship on his CV by reaching double figures for goals in the 2019-20 season.

However, Austin was deemed not good enough for the top-flight step-up and made an eagerly anticipated return to QPR for the 2020-21 term, originally on loan.

Back in the second-tier, Austin recorded seven goals from 21 games before he moved permanently to Loftus Road on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.

His final season with the Hoops didn’t go as swimmingly in front of goal as he would have liked, with Austin scoring just five times from 34 appearances as he took on a new venture in Australia with Brisbane Roar in 2022.

Overall, though, Austin was a tremendous success for QPR over his combined five-year spell, netting 61 times from 148 games and still being a much-loved figure for his contributions to this day.

QPR should have cashed in on Charlie Austin earlier than they did

Charlie Austin will undoubtedly go down as one of QPR’s best-ever forwards, particularly as he cost such a low fee of £4 million.

However, the R’s did have a great opportunity to make a significant profit after their relegation back down to the Championship, ignoring a £12 million bid from Leicester.

It was understandable as to why the R's chiefs wanted to keep Austin in the second-tier, as it was obvious that he would score goals for fun, but in hindsight, the decision not to sell him after relegation was a clear mistake.

The club should have cashed in on him after relegation given he had only one year left on his contract.

This lapse in judgement caused them a sizeable loss in income, and the extra money may have helped them somewhat with the financial struggles they went on to experience in the following years.

With that all in the past, though, QPR fans will always look back fondly on the memories of Austin, as the clinical frontman had a habit of getting supporters out of their seats with joy on a regular basis.