QPR should look to Bolton Wanderers to solve major issue | OneFootball

QPR should sign Bolton Wanderers ace Dion Charles to solve their goal scoring problems

Queens Park Rangers have made a terrible start to the Championship season and sit bottom of the league during the November international break.

R's boss Marti Cifuentes worked wonders at Loftus Road last campaign, and kept the West London outfit in the second tier with a game to spare, despite inheriting a side that were 23rd in the league in October 2023.

However, somewhat ironically, the Hoops currently look destined for relegation under the Spaniard's stewardship and have managed just one victory this term, which came back in August against fellow strugglers Luton Town.

Perhaps predictably, for a manager in charge of a side who are currently five points adrift of safety, Cifuentes is seemingly under pressure, as French sports outlet L'Equipe have reported that QPR are considering a move to make ex-Liverpool defender Gregory Vignal their new head coach.

If Cifuentes is to keep his job, he'll need to solve the R's defensive problems - having conceded a worrying tally of 25 goals in 15 Championship matches this season.

However, their biggest problem is their lack of potency in attack, as no second-tier side have scored fewer goals than their poor return of just 12 in the league this term.

QPR should look to Dion Charles to solve goalscoring issue

The R's top goalscorer in the Championship this season is striker Michael Frey, who has scored just three and has not made an appearance since October due to a calf problem.

Attacking midfielder Nicolas Madsen sits second on the club's goalscoring charts, with an uninspiring return of two goals in 11 Championship outings, but has not found the back of the net since scoring a penalty during a 3-1 defeat to Hull City early last month.

It is clear then, that Cifuentes does not boast an abundance of quality in the final third, especially amid the poor form of the usually dependable Ilias Chair, who has failed to register a single goal contribution so far this campaign.

Amid their efforts to retain their Championship status, it is clear that the R's must invest in a goalscorer come the January transfer window, while taking a chance on Bolton Wanderers ace Dion Charles could reap serious rewards for the West Londoners.

The Northern Ireland international's exploits in League One over recent seasons arguably demonstrate that he is ready to make the step up to the second tier.

So far this term, Charles has already managed six goals in 14 league appearances, while last season he helped fire Ian Evatt's men to the League One play-off final with a classy return of 16 goals in 36 third-tier outings.

The Wanderers also landed a top-six spot following an impressive 2022/23 campaign in which Charles scored 17 goals in 44 League appearances.

The 29-year-old's goal-scoring exploits suggest that the R's should make an effort to convince the Northern Irishman to swap the battle for a League One play-off place for the fight for Championship survival.

Charles could be tempted by a Championship switch

Charles has proven that he is one of the most dangerous strikers in the third tier, so the next natural step in his career would be to test himself at second tier level.

Of course, attempting to obtain Championship status with current club Bolton will be at the forefront of the forward's mind, but Wanderers are seemingly not the strong force they were last season, and promotion is no certainty.

Last season, they missed out on automatic promotion by the cruel margin of just five points, before suffering yet more heartache in the form of a play-off final defeat to Oxford United.

But this term, although Evatt's men are in the chasing pack for a top-six spot, they have already lost five of their 14 league fixtures, including a recent 5-0 hammering at Stockport County, and are struggling for consistency.

Charles could, therefore, be willing to make the move to a Championship side come January and it may be just what the R's need amid their scramble for survival.