Hull City promotion-winner becomes free agent - QPR, Charlton & Lincoln must eye swoop | OneFootball

John Lundstram is set to have his contract at Trabzonspor terminated after being sent out on loan to Hull City last season

John Lundstram is set to be on the hunt for another club this summer, following a successful loan spell at Hull City last season which culminated in promotion to the Premier League.

The 32-year-old arrived as one of the many loans and no-fee signings that Hull were restricted to last season due to their transfer embargo, marking his return to England after five years away playing for Rangers and then Trabzonspor.

Despite playing a starring role for the Turkish side in the 2024/25 campaign, he was deemed expendable last summer, and even with him playing a part in a promotion at the MKM Stadium, he's still not in Faith Tekke's plans.

According to Turkish outlet Taka, Lundstram is in conversation with Trabzonspor about mutually terminating his contract, leaving him free to move elsewhere permanently this summer.

The 32-year-old started the opening nine Championship games for Sergej Jakirovic's side before injury saw him fall out of favour, and he couldn't get back into starting contention upon his return in January.

Nevertheless, despite limited starts in the second half of the season and a combined nine minutes in the play-offs, he'd still be a useful operator in the engine room for a few Championship clubs. Here are three who should be targeting him.

QPR

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QPR will be one of many perennial mid-table sides who will see the expansion of the play-offs to six teams as an achievable way to mount a promotion push, and with the ambition shown in the transfer market last season, there's high potential for Julien Stephan's side to be a dark horse if they replicate it 12 months on.

The Hoops will need extra reinforcements this summer, after numerous starters spent time on the sidelines with injury, to ensure that a play-off level can be maintained if a similar injury record is bestowed upon them this year,

They'll also need a new veteran back-up midfielder, after Isaac Hayden departed the club at the conclusion of his contract. Right now, Kieran Morgan is the only back-up, and despite his promise, Julien Stephan should be looking for a more experienced head.

Lundstram played the experienced squad player perfectly in the second half of last season at Hull, and could do the same, backing up Nicolas Madsen and Jonathan Varane in 2026/27.

Charlton Athletic

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Charlton Athletic's midfield was incredibly important last season, as Nathan Jones' side prided themselves on hard work and being compact to win games, especially towards the end of the year when they needed the points to keep the bottom three at arm's length.

The Welsh boss deployed three central midfielders throughout the campaign. Sonny Carey was a more attacking outlet, with Conor Coventry and Greg Docherty just behind him. In the second half of the season, the latter two were backed up by Conor Coady.

The Wrexham loanee is a centre-back by trade, and has since gone back to his parent club, so, like QPR, Charlton need some midfield reinforcement, and bringing in an actual recognised midfielder should be at the top of the priority list for the Addicks this summer.

Lundstram made a name for himself as a hard-working midfielder who covered the most yards on the field week in, week out while at Sheffield United under Chris Wilder, and a similar demanding, 'old-school' boss in Nathan Jones could lead to the same being seen at the Valley.

Lincoln City

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Lincoln City are embarking on their first second-tier campaign in 65 years this season. They secured the League One title with a core group of players in their thirties, and they will likely use the same strategy to try and make their Championship stay last longer than a single year.

Their one signing as of writing is Callum Elder, a 31-year-old with 159 second-tier games under his belt, and if the Imps are heading down that route, then bringing in Lundstram on a free seems a no-brainer.

The majority of Championship clubs who may be targeting the 32-year-old this summer would be looking at him to bolster their squad and provide quality in reserve, whereas at Lincoln, Lundstram would likely start the majority of games, which could prove attractive for the midfielder.

Moreover, the current central midfield pack at Sincil Bank in Ivan Varfolomeev, Tom Bayliss and Conor McGrandles have a combined 13 Championship appearances amongst them. It's clear that Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen need to add someone who has experience in this division and above, and Lundstram fits that bill.