"It wouldn't be a surprise" - QPR January transfer prediction issued involving Jake Clarke-Salter | OneFootball

FLW asked its QPR fan pundit to predict what the club would do in the January transfer window.

The short-term future of Queens Park Rangers is even more set than it appeared to be at the start of the week.

Monday night's fans' forum was a pleasing watch/listen for anyone in attendance, or those catching up on it afterwards. At the forum, contract extensions for Marti Cifuentes, his assistant Xavi Calm and central defender Jake Clarke-Salter were all announced.

The lengths of these deals were not exactly specified, but they are all new, multi-year deals.

It was also revealed that star summer signing Karamoko Dembele would join the club permanently next summer once his current loan spell is up, after an appearance-based clause was met, triggering QPR's obligation to buy him, something that they should be more than happy to do.

Getting the contract extensions done will have eased a lot of fears. Both Cifuentes and Clarke-Salter attracted the attention of other English clubs over the summer.

Sunderland were said to be looking at the Spaniard to be their new head coach in June, as per Alan Nixon, and Clarke-Salter was the subject of reported interest from Wolves in the following month.

With the defender now having a new deal under his belt, the chances of him leaving in January almost certainly decrease. But, had he left, QPR would have had to address his position in the transfer market, according to Football League World's R's fan pundit, Louis Moir.

QPR may look at centre-backs in January window

If Loftus Road is going to see any new additions made in the winter, it's likely to be in the middle of defence, according to Moir.

He said: "It's probably really early to say but I can potentially see the club looking at another centre-half in January. I think with our new signing Liam Morrison at centre-half, he looks to be out for a fair while with an injury, which is really unlucky because he looked good in the cup games. It's not ideal for a new signing to be injured for that length of time.

"And you still have that sort of feeling that if Clarke-Salter continues to perform to the levels we know he can, there could be interest in him again in January.

"Then that would leave us with Steve Cook and Jimmy Dunne, who's technically our first-choice right-back now, but obviously he's a centre-half.

"If that was to all happen, and Morrison doesn't get back fit in good time, then you're looking quite weak in that centre-back area. So it wouldn't be a surprise to see us going after another centre-half. Whether that would be a loan, maybe; it could be the sensible thing to do if that all happened.

"Keeping everyone fit and nobody leaving is vital to our starting XI and first-team squad. I don't think there will be a lot of interest in us doing business, but centre-half could be something that we look at."

To further the QPR fan pundit's point on potential signings being made at the back, it's not just in Clarke-Salter's position where help may be needed.

Dunne at right-back is not a long-term solution at that position, albeit he's done fairly well. Harrison Ashby hasn't been able to break into the first-team since joining on loan from Newcastle United.

The early ending of that deal to then open up a space for another temporary option could be on the cards.