Leyton Orient have struck gold with QPR deal - his return could be O's ticket to the Championship | OneFootball

A potential permanent move for Charlie Kelman could be the key to Orient's future promotion chances.

Charlie Kelman's second loan spell at Leyton Orient has been a resounding success.

The 23-year-old was previously on loan at E10 during the O's 2022/23 League Two winning campaign, scoring seven times in 47 appearances.

The striker returned to East London on a temporary basis in the summer, and so far has an impressive 18 goals in 49 appearances so far this season.

As Kelman starts to truly find his stride at Orient, the potential opportunity to bring the striker back on a permanent basis could be crucial to any O's push for promotion across the next few seasons.

Leyton Orient have struggled for clinical strikers in recent seasons

Since returning to the Football League back in 2019, accompanied by the departure of Macauley Bonne to Queens Park Rangers, the O's have struggled to find a consistent talisman.

While there have been some years of solid numbers, no one has been able to score as many as Kelman has so far this season - with nine games still to play.

Strikers such as Danny Johnson and Aaron Drinan put up some decent records, but both struggled to find their goalscoring touch in the latter months of the season when the pressure was on.

Even during the O's title-winning season back in 2023, no player managed to surpass Paul Smyth's ten goals across all competitions while goals were evenly spread across the side.

Despite the clear evidence that the O's can succeed without a consistent goalscorer up front, many Orient fans have been crying out for a long-term solution to a position that has seen multiple failed signings in recent years.

Kelman can be that man. 14 of the 18 goals he's got have been in League One, with his brace last time out against Blackpool sealing an impressive 2-1 win to keep Orient within touching distance of the top six. Of course, it's still a big ask to bag a play-off berth and win at Wembley, yet the O's could be putting building blocks in place for a real assault on promotion next season and Kelman is a player you'd want to take on that journey.

Kelman faces an uphill battle to prove himself to parent-club

Kelman has been the focal point of the Orient attack during both loan spells in East London.

Whenever he's been in the first team back at parent club Queens Park Rangers though, he has struggled to find his place in the side.

He has only been able to start in four of his 23 Championship appearances and is yet to score for the R's in a competitive fixture.

Kelman's contract situation also remains unclear, as the striker signed a new deal back in January 2024, but the duration of the contract remains unconfirmed by his parent club.

Manager Marti Cifuentes may want to take a closer look at the striker during pre-season – if he’s still under contract – but it appears unlikely that he would find himself in a significant role in West London next season.

While Kelman will no doubt have a plethora of suitors should he become available in the summer, the opportunity for Orient to tie him down to a long-term deal is something that they would be naive to pass up on - as the 23-year-old appears to be getting better with every passing game.

If Orient want to look towards promotion to the Championship in the next few seasons, a permanent move for Kelman could be a major factor in them booking their ticket there one way or another.