Significant QPR concern raised after development involving €3m player - it's a "big blow" | OneFootball

FLW's R's Fan Pundit thinks the club's playoff ambitions are all but over following Karamoko Dembélé's ACL 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…

There is some belief that Queens Park Rangers’ hopes of a Championship play-off place this season are all but over following Kader Dembélé’s season-ending ACL injury against Coventry City.

The 22-year-old winger, who signed permanently for the R's in the summer of 2025 in a pre-agreed €3 million deal, will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the campaign, adding to an already serious attacking injury list at Loftus Road.

With the likes of Rumarn Burrell, Kwame Poku and Ilias Chair also sidelined, FLW’s R’s Fan Pundit, Lois Moir, gave his perspective on just how big of a blow this Dembélé injury is for the club.

Queens Park Rangers fear raised over Kader Dembélé's future after ACL injury

In truth, this recent ACL injury is just another cruel blow for a player who already underwent knee surgery in November 2024, when he was ruled out for around three months.

That previous spell on the sidelines came shortly after he had begun to establish himself in the Championship with the R’s, having arrived on loan from Ligue 1 outfit Brest and netted once in his opening ten league appearances of 24/25.

From a fan perspective, Moir is in no doubt that Dembele’s absence will leave a sizeable hole on the right-hand side of the attack.

Louis told FLW, "Dembele kind of made that right wing position his own in a way.

"Yes, he wasn’t playing too well, he wasn’t really contributing to the team in terms of goals and assists, but I think anyone would much rather have him as an option compared to the likes of [Daniel] Bennie."

Perhaps the bigger concern for the QPR supporter is what this latest setback means for the winger’s longer‑term development, adding, "It’s not been helpful at all hearing that news that it’s an ACL injury, and Dembélé’s already suffered injuries in the past.

"It kind of feels like he could be one of these players who might never become consistent.

"It’s a shame because I've always thought he clearly has the ability, he's just not really show it that much at all this season.

"And now it’s another key position where we’re lacking a body, if these injuries keep happening, it’s going to be really tough to get in the play-offs."

Back in December, the winger was highlighted to FLW by Moir as the most disappointing player in the R’s squad this season, largely because of the high ceiling people believe he has.

Given that Dembélé’s now, unfortunately, ending the season with just one goal and one assist across all competitions - things definitely haven’t gone to plan since his loan move was made permanent for a reported £2.2m.

Queens Park Rangers' playoff dream all but over after Kader Dembélé injury

As already mentioned, before Dembele’s injury, QPR had already lost top scorer Rumarn Burrell until at least March, along with separate injuries to other forwards in Kwame Poku and Ilias Chair.

So, when you add Dembele’s ACL to that list, it is easy to see why Moir is so concerned about the lack of cutting edge in Julien Stéphan's forward line.

R's fan pundit Louis summed up the situation bluntly, saying: "Now, it’s another key position where we’re lacking a body. If these injuries keep happening, it’s going to be really tough to get into the playoffs.

"The January window’s been and gone, but even Kwame Poku, will he even return before the end of the season? We have no idea.

"It’s a real issue because Dembele, Poku, Chair being out, Burell - all the attacking threat has kind of gone, hence why we’ve drawn 0-0 in our last three away games and are struggling to create."

Yes, QPR won against league-leaders Coventry, but that was their only win in five league games - and everyone knows that's not ideal for a side wanting play-offs, even if they've been really unlucky with said injuries.

As things stand, though, there's only three points that separate them from sixth place.

If they were available, Moir concluded by telling FLW: "Thank god we didn’t lose those games we’ve drawn, but you’ve got to be thinking if we had all these players fit, you’d have to fancy us to be in the top six. It is a big blow."

Ultimately, if the West London outfit do indeed miss out on a play-off spot come the end of the season, it will be hard not to look back at the cluster of injuries as a decisive factor, especially since they looked nailed on for top six when everyone was fully fit.