QPR picked Millwall's pockets before landing initial £17m transfer windfall | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers signed Eberechi Eze following his release by Millwall

Queens Park Rangers and fellow London club Millwall have both endured mixed fortunes in the transfer market over the years.

QPR supporters will always fondly remember the 2009 arrival of Adel Taarabt, who produced a stunning return of 19 goals and 17 assists during the 2010/11 Championship campaign, which saw the West Londoners win promotion.

The eventual Benfica man also provided some moments of real quality in the Premier League for the R's, before joining local rivals Fulham on loan in 2013.

Meanwhile, Millwall supporters will never forget the contributions of Jed Wallace, who was an excellent servant for them in the Championship, joining permanently in the summer of 2017 following previous loan stints.

The winger stayed with the Lions until 2022, when he joined West Bromwich Albion, before going on to help the Baggies reach the play-offs in 2024.

While Millwall can fondly remember the likes of Wallace, there is one significant example of QPR getting the better of the Den club in the transfer market in recent years.

Millwall allowed Eberechi Eze to join Queens Park Rangers

Eberechi Eze joined Arsenal in the summer of 2025, following interest from North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and helped the Gunners win their first Premier League title in 22 years under Mikel Arteta's impressive stewardship.

Somewhat ironically, the attacking midfielder's most notable performance for the Emirates Stadium club in their historic title-winning season came when he scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 triumph over Spurs in November 2025.

The England international also etched himself into the Crystal Palace history books in May 2025, scoring the winning goal as the Eagles defeated Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final.

Before all that, though, Eze was one of the hottest prospects in Championship football while plying his trade for QPR until signing for Palace in 2020.

The eventual Three Lions star enjoyed a particularly fruitful 2019/20 season for the Loftus Road outfit, scoring 14 goals and registering eight assists in 46 second-tier appearances.

Eze's notable performances in the 2019/20 campaign saw him score braces against Hull City and Preston North End, but the R's could only manage a 13th-place finish in the Championship.

He joined Palace in the summer of 2020 for a fee that was worth an initial £17million, as per the BBC.

Millwall would have been jealous of the handsome transfer fee that QPR recouped for Eze's services, because the Lions released him from their academy in the summer of 2016, which allowed the R's to pick their pockets and pick him up at the age of 18.

The former Palace star went on to make his QPR debut in an FA Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers in January 2017, which marked his only senior appearance of the 2016/17 campaign.

Eze spent the first half of the 2017/18 season on loan with Wycombe Wanderers, notching five goals and one assist in 20 League Two outings for the Chairboys.

Millwall must regret Eberechi Eze call in hindsight

Millwall’s decision to release Eze in the summer of 2016 didn't have an immediate impact on the Lions, as they won the League One play-off final in 2017, at the end of a successful season.

The South London club have subsequently established themselves as a strong Championship outfit and reached the play-offs following a stellar 2025/26 season.

However, the Lions must have watched Eze's dazzling QPR performances with a feeling of 'what could have been', and any feelings of jealousy would have been exacerbated by the time he joined Palace for a handsome sum before excelling in the Premier League and landing QPR future windfalls beyond their initial £17m.